DILP' 


Mam  Lib. 


THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY 


OF 


Wayne  and  of  Orleans  Counties, 
New  York 


A  THESIS 

SUBMITTED    TO   THE    UNIVERSITY    FACULTY    OF    CORNELL    UNI- 
VERSITY  FOR   THE   DEGREE   OF   DOCTOR    OF   PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


G.  F.  WARREN 


ITHACA,  NEW  YORK 
1905 


*1TY  j 


THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY 


OF 


Wayne  and  of  Orleans  Counties, 
New  York 


A  THESIS 


SUBMITTED    TO   THE    UNIVERSITY    FACULTY    OF    CORNELL    UNI- 
VERSITY   FOR   THE    DEGREE    OF   DOCTOR    OF   PHILOSOPHY 


BY 


G.  F.  WARREN 


ITHACA,  NEW  YORK 
1905 


Main  Lib 

CL&A/L 

0 


Acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  one  thousand  or  more  farmers 
without  whose  cooperation  the  work  could  not  have  been  done  ; 
to  Professor  John  Craig,  at  whose  suggestion  I  undertook  the 
work,  for  many  helpful  suggestions  and  for  reading  the  manu- 
script and  proof  ;  to  Director  L.  H.  Bailey  for  many  valuable 
suggestions  and  for  reading  the  proof  ;  to  Mr.  Christian  Bues, 
who  was  my  co-worker  in  the  field  work  in  Orleans  County, 
and  who  read  the  manuscript  of  Part  I ;  to  Mr.  Cornelius  Betten 
for  reading  the  manuscript  ;  and  to  Professor  Bonsteel  and  Mr. 
Whetzel  for  reading  parts  of  the  proof. 

Figures  44,  48,  75,  78,  79,  82,  92  and  the  figures  in  Part  II 
were  furnished  by  the  Department  of  Horticulture.  Figure  85 
was  furnished  by  Professor  Slingerland. 


380017 


PART  I. 


THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY, 

NEW  YORK. 


G.  F.  WARREN. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION  241-247 

The  field  work 241 

The  degree  of  accuracy  of  the  reports 244 

Method  of  making  computations 245 

Work  in  Orleans  county ^ 246 

General  observations  on  the  work 246 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY 249-259 

Fruit  production  per  capita 249 

Magnitude  of  the  apple  crop 250 

Production  of  evaporated  apples 251 

Value  of  orchard  products  of  the  various  states 253 

Exports  of  apples,  1851-1904 255 

Area  devoted  to  apples  in  Wayne  county 256 

Development  of  the  commercial  orchard 257 

CHAPTER  II. 

TILLAGE 261-272 

Acreage  of  tilled  and  untilled  orchards 261 

Yields  of  tilled  and  untilled  orchards 262 

Does  tillage  pay  ? 264 

Results  of  treatment  not  immediately  apparent 267 

Methods  of  tillage 269 

Methods  of  sod  treatment 269 

CHAPTER  III. 

FERTILIZATION   273-277 

Fertilizers   used 273 

Fertilization  and  yield 274 

Necessity   of  fertilization 274 

Relative   amounts   of   plant-food   removed   by   the   apple    crop    and   by   the 

wheat  crop 274 

Manure  shipped  in  from  cities 276 

Manure  secured  by  feeding  cattle 276 

Method  of  applying  manure 277 

Cover-crops    277 

237 


238  BULLETIN  226. 

•  -     ,    , 

;  CHAPTER  IV. 

PAGE. 

PRUNING 278-288 

Former  methods  of  pruning 278 

How  wounds  heal 278 

Removal  of  large  limbs 279 

"  Stub  "   priming 280 

Use   of  paint  on  wounds 283 

Thinning  the  tops 284 

Pruning  should  vary  with  the  thrift  of  the  trees 284 

The  best  time  to  prune 285 

How  to  treat  crotches 286 

Number  of   scaffold  limbs 287 

CHAPTER  V. 

SPRAYING 289-294 

The  extent  of  the  practice 289 

Relation  of  spraying  to  yields  and  prices 289 

Kinds  of  sprays  used 290 

The  best  time  to  spray 292 

Winter  treatment  for  apple-scab 293 

Method  of  applying  the  spray 293 

Russeting  of  the  fruit 293 

Damage  to  foliage  from  spraying , 294 

CHAPTER  VI. 

RENOVATING    AN    APPLE    ORCHARD    IN    WESTERN     NEW    YORK.     By  Christian 
Bucs  295-298 

CHAPTER  VII. 

NUMBER  OF  TREES  PER  ACRE  AND  DISTANCE  BETWEEN  TREES 299-307 

Number  of  trees  per  acre • 299 

Trees  planted  too  closely 299 

Effects  of  close  planting  on  yields  and  health 300 

Top-grafting  or  pruning  every  other  row 305 

How  to  thin 305 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

AGE  OF  THE  ORCHARDS 308-312 

Date  of  planting 308 

Yields  at  different  ages 308 

Planting  young  orchards • 310 

CHAPTER  IX. 

SOILS  AND  SOIL  PROBLEMS 313-324 

TOPOGRAPHY — Topographical  regions 313 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      239 

PAGE. 

SOILS — The  soil  types 315 

Miami  stony  loam 316 

Alton  stony  loam 316 

Miami  silt  loam 317 

Miami  line  sand • 317 

Ontario  gravelly  loam 317 

Relation  of  the  soil  to  yield  of  apples 317 

Summary  of  the  soil  factor 318 

DRAINAGE — The  natural  drainage 319 

Losses  caused  by  lack  of  drainage 320 

CHAPTER  X. 

ELEVATIONS  AND  EXPOSURES 325-326 

Sites 325 

Relation  of  the  sites  and  yields 325 

Aspects,  or  exposures 325 

Relation  of  the  aspects  and  yields . 326 

CHAPTER  XI. 

A  COMPARISON  OF  RENTED  ORCHARDS  WITH  THOSE  MANAGED  BY  THE  OWNER,  327-329 

Census  of  rented  orchards 327 

Effects  of  the  rental  system  on  the  orchards 327 

Suggestions  and  reflections  on  the  rented  farm 329 

CHAPTER  XTT. 

VARIETIES  330-332 

The    varieties   grown '. 330 

Variations  within  the  variety — the  selection  of  scions 330 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

ENEMIES  OF  THE  APPLE • 333~348 

List  of  the  more  serious  enemies 333 

THE  APPLE-SCAB  FUNGUS — Its  importance 335 

What  is  the  scab  fungus  ? 335 

Relation  of  the.  weather  to  the  development  of  scab 337 

Relative  damage  on  different  varieties  of  apples 338 

Relation  to  other  fungi 338 

Treatment 339 

LEAF  SPOT — Caused  by  the  scab  fungus 339 

Other  causes  of  leaf  spot 340 

Leaf-blister  mite 340 


240  BULLETIN  226. 

PAGE. 

THE  APPLE- TREE  CANKER — Description 341 

The  extent  of  the  injury  by  canker 341 

The  cause  of  the  cankers 344 

Treatment 344 

COLLAR  ROT — Occurrence  and  description 345 

The  cause  of  the  rot 346 

Treatment 346 

CHAPTER  XTV. 

YIELDS,  MARKETS  AND  PRICES 349~355 

Total  yields  in  Wayne  county 349 

Average  yields  per  acre 349 

Average  yields  per  tree 349 

Variations  in  yield 350 

The    evaporating    industry 350 

How  the  crop  is  disposed  of 351 

General  considerations  concerning  marketing 353 

Average  prices 354 

Average  income  per  acre 354 

SUMMARY 356 

CONCLUSION 360 

REFERENCES    361 


INTRODUCTION. 


GENERAL  METHOD  OF  WORK. 

The  field  work. — The  field  work  was  done  between  June  10  and  Sep- 
tember 12,  1903.     Nearly  all  of  this  time  was  spent  in  the  apple  orchards. 

In  Walworth  township, 
which  is  in  the  center 
of  the  west  part  of  the 
county,  every  orchard  as 
large  as  one  acre  was  ex- 
amined. In  nearly  every 
case  the  owner  was  inter- 
viewed for  statistics  on 
variety,  age,  fertilization, 
tillage,  spraying,  past 
troubles,  yields,  market, 
price,  etc.  The  orchard 
was  examined  in  order  to 
determine  the  site,  aspect, 
area,  distance  between 
trees,  present  treatment, 
present  condition  of  health 

and  crop,  pruning,  diseases,  insects,  etc.  A  three-foot  soil  auger  was 
a  part  of  the  outfit,  and  frequent  borings  were  made  to  determine  the 
physical  condition  of  the  soil,  texture,  structure  and  the  drainage  con- 
ditions. Samples  for  laboratory  analyses  were  taken  of  the  different 
soil  types.  In  short,  an  effort  was  made  to  study  whatever  factors 
enter  into  the  successful  production  of  apples.  All  the  information 
obtained  was  entered  in  the  blank  report  provided  for  that  purpose  (see 
Fig.  38).  These  reports  are  preserved  in  the  Department  of  Horticulture 
for  reference  for  the  future  worker  and  .are,  of  course,  not  open  to  the 
public.  The  position  and  approximate  size  of  each  orchard  with  its 
number  is  shown  on  the  map  prepared  by  the  United  States  Geological 

241 


FIG.  37. — Map  showing  the  location  of  Wayne  and 
Orleans  counties,  New  York. 


242 


BULLETIN  226. 


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AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      243 


Survey.  These  maps  show  the  2O-foot  contour  lines  on  a  scale  of  one 
inch  to  a  mile  (see  Fig.  39).  This  method  of  locating  the  orchard  makes 
it  possible  to  look  it  up  at  any  time  in  the  future.  Very  many  other 
items  were  determined,  some  of  which  were  entered  under  "  general 


FIG.  39. — A  reduced  photograph  of  the  field  map  of  Walworth  township,  showing  the 
position  and  number  of  the  orchards.  This  map  was  on  a  scale  of  four  inches  to  the 
mile. 

observations,"  and   some  of  which  were   recorded   in  a   note-book  kept 
for  that  purpose. 

In  Ontario  township,  which  lies  between  the  lake  and  Walworth, 
every  orchard  as  large  as  ten  acres  and  a  number  of  smaller  ones  were 
likewise  examined.  Nearly  all  the  other  orchards  were  seen,  and  a 
comparison  made  with  those  that  were  carefully  recorded. 


244  BULLETIN  226. 

In  Macedon  township,  which  extends  from  Walworth  to  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  county,  every  orchard  as  large  as  ten  acres 
and  nearly  all  of  those  as  large  as  five  acres  were  examined.  Practically 
all  the  other  orchards  of  this  town  were  examined  sufficiently  to  be  able 
to  make  comparisons  with  those  recorded. 

These  three  townships  gave  a  representative  north  and  south  section 
of  the  county.  The  differences  in  going  north  and  south  are  very 
much  greater  than  those  from  east  to  west. 

The  degree  of  accuracy  of  the  reports.— The  results  are  based  on  all 
the  orchards  of  Walworth  as  large  as  one  acre,  or  443  orchards  con- 
taining 1,773^  acres ;  and  on  ^31  orchards  of  the  remainder  of  the  county 
containing  1,987^  acres.  This  is  between  one-fifth  and  one-sixth  of  the 
orchards  of  the  county.  Probably  at  least  one-third  of  the  orchards  were 
examined  more  or  less  carefully.  The  careful  records  were  made  of  the 
above  number. 

The  location,  site,  aspect,  area,  distance  between  trees,  present  treat- 
ment, pruning,  present  condition,  present  troubles,  soil  and  soil  condi- 
tions were  determined  by  the  observer,  aided  by  any  suggestions  that  the 
owner  might  give. 

The  ages  are  a  question  of  memory  and  sometimes  of  hearsay.  The 
appearance  of  the  trees  would  usually  enable  the  inspector  to  avoid 
any  large  error.  The  past  troubles  except  canker-worm,  tent  cater- 
pillar and  scab  or  "fungus"  are  not  often  given,  as  they  are  not 
recognized  by  many  growers.  This  does  not  by  any  means  indicate 
that  no  other  important  enemies  have  been  present.  Some  have  left 
their  effects  so  apparent  that  the  observer  could,  without  difficulty, 
fill  in  the  past  troubles.  The  varieties,  methods  of  former  treatment, 
spraying,  fertilization,  etc.,  are  fairly  accurate,  except  that  the  amount 
of  fertilization  is  not  often  known.  The  market  and  price  per  bushel 
are  quite  accurate.  The  farmers  are  practically  all  glad  to  be  able  to 
help  in  the  work  of  the  Experiment  Station.  They  understand  that 
the  reports  are  confidential,  and  therefore  have  no  incentive  to  give 
too  high  yields.  The  only  limit  to  the  accuracy  is  the  memory  of  the 
grower.  The  apple  crop  is,  however,  the  chief  crop  and  is  therefore  well 
remembered.  The  yields  are  usually  the  result  of  measurement,  as 
the  people  remember  the  number  of  bushels,  or  the  number  of  pounds, 
or  remember  the  income  and  price,  from  which  the  yield  can  be 
computed. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      245 

The  yields  for  1903  were  secured  by  letters  to  the  growers.  They 
doubtless  average  too  high,  for  those  who  had  a  very  small  crop  some- 
times considered  it  too  small  j;o  be  worth  reporting. 

The  records  of  the  1902  yields  are  the  most  complete  and  the  most 
accurate  of  all. 

Method  of  making  the  computations. — Since  every  orchard  in  Wai- 
worth  was  examined,  all  computations  have  been  made  for  this  town 
by  itself,  and  separate  ones  made  for  the  south  and  for  the  north  parts 
of  the  county.  In  some  cases  Ontario  and  Macedon  townships  were 
each  considered  separately.  Nearly  all  these  computations  when 
yields  are  concerned  are  made  for  the  crops  of  1900,  1901,  1902,  1903. 
The  conclusions  have  almost  invariably  been  the  same  for  each  year 
and  for  each  part  of  the  county.  In  this  bulletin  they  have,  in  most  cases, 
been  summarized  under  two  heads,  Wai  worth  and  the  remainder  of  the 
county. 

In  computing  yields  under  various  methods  of  treatment,  the  yields 
of  the  orchards  set  before  1880  are  ordinarily  used.  Trefcs  set  since 
that  date  have  mostly  not  arrived  at  maturity. 

In  computing  any  one  item  the  others  have  generally  been  ignored. 
The  justification  for  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  so  many  orchards  have 
been  examined  that  other  items  will  balance.  For  example,  in  deter- 
mining the  average  yields  for  orchards  having  trees  set  at  different 
distances  apart,  no  attention  has  been  given  to  the  care  of  the  orchard. 
There  are  orchards  set  at  all  distances  that  have  been  well  cared  for 
and  others  that  are  neglected.  The  large  number  examined  makes 
an  average  of  conditions.  The  danger  of  this  method  of  making  calcu- 
lations lies  in  possible  coordinate  factors.  The  man  who  tills  his 
orchard  may  be  the  man  who  sprays.  Some  points  of  this  kind  are 
discussed  under  the  different  chapters.  To  test  the  method,  some  compu- 
tations have  been  made  on  the  basis  of  sub-groups  of  orchards  otherwise 
similarly  treated.  The  results  have  sometimes  been  changed  in  absolute 
amounts,  but  have  been  unchanged  in  their  relation  to  each  other,  or  have 
been  so  slightly  changed  as  not  to  alter  the  conclusions  to  which  they 
point. 

The  independent  calculations  for  Walworth  township  and  for  the 
north  and  the  south  parts  of  the  county,  furnish  additional  checks. 
There  are  usually  twelve  independent  calculations — one  for  each  of 
these  divisions  for  each  of  the  four  years.  When  these  results  all 


246  BULLETIN  226. 

point  to  the  same  conclusion,  they  would  seem  to  establish  it  beyond 
any  reasonable  doubt.  In  this  report  the  results  are  frequently  sum- 
marized in  order  to  save  space.  There  might  seem  to  be  some  danger 
of  a  large  orchard  controlling  the  average,  but  in  no  case  of  any 
importance  has  such  an  orchard  changed  the  relative  order  of  the 
results. 

In  making  most  of  the  computations,  there  were  orchards  for  which 
the  information  or  yields  were  not  secured.  These  were,  of  course, 
omitted,  just  as  an  orchard  that  was  not  seen.  The  computations 
always  include  every  orchard  for  which  the  particular  data  were 
secured. 

Work  in  Orleans  county. — During  the  summer  of  1904,  orchards  to 
the  number  of  564,  including  4,881  acres,  were  similarly  examined  in 
Orleans  county.  In  this  county  the  writer  was  assisted  by  Mr.  C.  Bues. 
Some  of  the  pictures  in  this  report  were  obtained  in  that  county.  Many 
references  are  also  made  to  it,  but  all  the  tabulations  are  from  Wayne 
county.  The  tables  for  the  Orleans  county  work  will  be  published  later. 

General  observations  on  the  ivork. — The  method  of  doing  the  work  and 
the  kind  of  information  sought  were  much  changed  during  the  progress 
of  the  investigation.  In  the  beginning  the  type  of  soil  was  thought  to  be 
of  much  more  importance  than  it  really  is.  The  most  important  points 
were  not  considered  in  the  first  few  reports.  The  relative  importance  of 
the  different  problems  was  better  seen  as  the  work  progressed.  The 
report  blank  (Fig.  38)  is  very  different  from  the  first  one  used.  Many 
improvements  were  made  when  similar  work  was  started  in  Orleans 
county,  but  there  are  others  that  will  be  made  if  another  county  is  studied. 

The  succeeding  pages  may  be  said  to  be  results  of  experiments  of  the 
past  seventy-five  years  in  apple-growing  in  Wayne  county.  "  Every  farm 
is  an  experiment  station  and  every  farmer  the  director  thereof."  But 
when  these  experiments  are  viewed  singly,  there  are  so  many  factors  that 
the  success  or  failure  is  as  likely  to  be  assigned  to  a  wrong  cause  as  to 
the  right  one.  As  a  result  we  have  the  great  diversity  of  opinion  that 
exists  among  apple-growers.  It  is  by  studying  and  tabulating  results 
from  large  numbers  of  orchards  that  important  and  unimportant  factors 
can  be  properly  correlated. 

The  standards  in  this  bulletin  are  not  ideals,  but  are  in  all  cases  based 
on  what  successful  men  are  doing.  No  one  man  is  following  all  of  them, 
but  each  one  has  been  tried.  It  is  impossible  to  give  credit  to  each 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      247 

farmer  who  has  aided  in  the  work,  for  that  would  mean  to  enumerate 
six  hundred  in  Wayne  county  and  an  equal  number  in  Orleans  county, 
but  I  can  not  refrain  from  mentioning  the  willingness  with  which  nearly 
every  one  gave  the  information  about  his  orchard  and  about  his  successes 
and  failures.  It  would  be  very  hard  to  find  a  region  where  the  farmers 
are  more  willing  to  cooperate  with  every  enterprise  of  the  experiment 
stations.  In  writing  this  bulletin,  I  have  tried  to  keep  in  mind  the  many 
questions  asked  by  the  farmers,  as  well  as  to  present  the  tables  of  the 
results  of  various  methods  of  treatment. 


248 


BULLETIN  226. 


Making  apple  barrels. 


Hauling  the  barrels  to  the  orchard. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  MAGNITUDE  OF  THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY. 

Fruit  production  per  capita. — The  commercial  demand  in  the  United 
States  for  fresh  fruit  has  been  created  during  the  past  fifty  years.  The 
small  quantity  of  fruit  that  was  produced  half  a  century  ago  was 
largely  used  for  wine  and  cider  manufacture,  but  fresh  fruit  and  canned 
fruit  are  now  among  the  staple  articles  of  diet  for  the  laborer  as  well 
as  for  the  wealthy.  Table  i  shows  that  the  value  of  the  orchard 
products  on  the  farm  has  increased  from  33  cents  per  capita  in  1850, 
to  $1.11  per  capita  in  1900.  If  all  fruits  are  included  the  value  would 
be  about  fifty  per  cent  greater,  the  amount  for  1900  being  $1.74  per 
capita  (see  Table  2).  Much  more  than  these  amounts  must  be  spent 

TABLE  i. 

Relative  increase  of  population  and  of  value  of  orchard  products  from  the  census 

reports. 


Population. 

Per  cent  of 
gain  in  10  years. 

Value  of 
Orchard 
Products. 

Per  cent  of 
gain  in  ro  years. 

iSso1.. 

23,  IQI,  876 

$7,  72?,  l86 

1860 

?I    AA.T,    ~\2l 

^c.  6 

i  o  QO  i  88  c. 

I  C.Q    O 

1870 

-jg    ceg   -571 

21    ? 

38  ooo  ooo^ 

QO   O 

1880 

en    ice   78  -> 

-?2    A 

c.o  876  i  c./i 

-J-7     Q 

i8oo2 

Gain  in  20  yrs 

1900 

7=;  =;68  686 

52  i 

S-j    7CT    840 

64  6 

Values  of  orchard  products  are  for  the  year  preceding  the  census. 

2  The  value  of  orchard  products  was  not  given  for  1890. 

'"  In  1870  the  value  of  orchard  products  returned  was  $47,335,189.  The  reduction 
of  this  amount  by  the  then  existing  premium  on  gold  (25.3  per  cent  on  the  average 
for  the  twelve  months  of  the  census  year.  May  31,  1869,  to  June  i,  1870)  would 
yield  about  $38,000,000."  Tenth  Census,  Statistics  of  Agriculture,  page  xxii. 


249 


250 


BULLETIN  226. 


by  the  consumer  for  the  transportation,  commissions  and  profits  in- 
crease the  cost  several  times.  A  larger  proportion  of  the  crop  may 
now  be  exported,  but  the  great  change  has  been  in  the  creation  of 
a  home  demand  for  fresh  fruit,  such  as  does  not  exist  in  any  other 
country.  The  great  fruit  market  of  the  world  is  the  American  work- 
man, and  his  staple  fruit  is  the  apple. 

The  magnitude  of  the  apple  crop. — Of  the  total  number  of  orchard  trees 
reported  in  1900,  55  per  cent  were  apple,  and  these  produced  83  per 

TABLE  2. 

Relative  rank  in  fruit  production  of  the  ten  leading  fruit-producing  states,  from  the 

census  of  IQOO. 


ORCHARD  PRODUCTS. 

ALL  FRUITS. 

Total  value. 

Percent. 

Rank. 

Total  value. 

Per  cent. 

Rank. 

United  States  . 

$83,751,840 
14,  526,  786 

10,  542,  272 
7,  976,  464 
6,  141,  118 
3,778,8ii 
3,675,845 
3,166,338 
2,944,175 

2,  662,  483 

2,  ^94,  981 

IOO.O 
17-3 
12.6 

9-5 
7-3 
4-5 
4-4 
3-8 
3-5 
3-2 
3-1 

$131,423,517 
28,  280,  104 
15,844,346 
9,884,809 
8,901,220 
5,455,213 
5,859,362 
4,630,169 
4,309,813 
3,515,475 
4,  082.  788 

IOO.O 

21-5 
12.  I 

7-5 
6.8 
4.1 
4-5 
3-5 
3-3 
2.7 

?''* 

I 
2 

3 
4 
6 

5 

I 

10 

9 

California. 

I 
2 

3 
4 

6 
9 

10 

New  York.         

Pennsylvania  

Ohio 

Illinois  

Michigan  

Indiana  

Missouri  

Virginia 

New  Jersey  

Leading  fruit  counties  in  Neiu  York. 


ORCHARD  PRODUCTS. 

r       ? 

ALL  FRUITS. 

Total  value. 

Per  cent 
of  the 
N.  V. 
crop. 

Rank. 

Total  value. 

Per  cent 
of  the 
N.  Y. 
crop. 

Niagara 

$1,078,042 
839,  732 
768,  927 
584,  254 
497,  354 
377,427 
354,262 
306,010 
300,  645 
296,  679 

10.2 
8.0 

7-3 
5-5 
4-7 
3-6 
3-4 
2.9 
2.9 

2.8 

2 

3 

4 

1 

I 

9 

10 

$1,184,482 
875,  270 
928,  673 

903,  875 
730,  222 
429,  679 
989,  024 
329,419 

434,  660 
I  ,  620,  923 

7-5 
5-5 
5-9 
5-7 
4-6 

26.1 

2.1 

2-7 
10.2 

Orleans 

Monroe 

Wayne  .       

Ontario    

Dutchess  

Ulster 

Westchester  

Columbia 

Chatitauoua 

Rank. 


r  4 

-  5 
;'  7 

10 

3 

15 
9 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      251 


cent  of  the  total  number  of  bushels  of  fruit  reported.     The  average 
production  of  apples  is  about  two  to  three  bushels  per  capita. 

Of  the  crop  of  175,000,000  bushels  in  1899,  the  States  of  New  York, 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  produced  nearly  69,000,000  bushels,  or  over 
39  per  cent  of  the  total  crop  in  the  United  States  (see  Table  3).  New 
York  justly  claims  first  place  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  her  apple 
crop.  Apples  are  grown  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  State,  but  it  is  in 
the  lake  counties,  Niagara,  Orleans,  Monroe  and  Wayne  that  the 
industry  has  been  most  extensively  developed.  In  1900,  fifteen  states 
outside  of  New  York  had  a  greater  number  of  apple-trees  than  the 
combined  number  in  these  four  counties,  but  only  nine  of  these  states 
gave  a  larger  crop  in  1899.  No  other  county  in  the  United  States  pro- 
duced as  many  apples  as  any  one  of  these.  Only  four  counties ;  one 
in  Illinois,  one  in  Missouri  and  two  in  Arkansas  had  as  many  trees  as 
any  one  of  these. 

The  production  of  evaporated  apples. — Wayne  county  has  come  to 
market  the  great  bulk  of  its  apple  crop  as  evaporated  apples.  The 
other  counties  sell  nearly  all  their  crop  in  barrels.  According  to  the 
last  census  (see  Table  4),  Wayne  county  produces  over  two-thirds  of 
the  evaporated  fruit  in  New  York,  and  produces  an  amount  exceeded 
by  only  three  states.  Two  of  these,  Oregon  and  North  Carolina,  only 
slightly  exceed  Wayne  county.  This  report  includes  all  kinds  of 
evaporated  fruit.  Of  evaporated  apples,  Wayne  county  doubtless  pro- 
duces more  than  any  State  in  the  Union,  except,  of  course,  New  York 
(see  Table  41). 

TABLE  3. 
Number  of  apple-trees  and  yield  of  apples,  from  the  census  of  1890  and  of  1900. 


CENSUS  OF  1890. 

CENSUS  OF  IQCO. 

No.  bearing 
trees  1890. 

Bushels  of 
apples  for  the 
year  1889. 

14 

1 

No.  trees  of 
bearing  age 
1900. 

Bushels  of 
apples  for  year 
1899. 

J4 

C 
1 

X 

United  States  
New  York  
Pennsylvania  .... 
Ohio 

120,152,795 
14,428,381 
9,  097,  700 
10,860,613 
4,253,364 
6,  949,  336 
8,  582,  386 
6,089,  1  06 
2,  870,  535 
8,  150,442 

q,  730,  144 

143,105,689 
8,  493,  846 
7,552,710 
13,789,278 

8,391,425 
9,  600,  785 
13,154,626 
8,  784,  038 
4,  439,  978 
8,698,170 
10,670,  ?8o 

7 

10 

i 
8 
4 

2 

5 
13 
6 
3 

201,794,764 
15,054,832 

11,774,211 
12,952,625 
8,  190,  025 
13,430,006 
10,927,899 
8,  624,  593 
5,441,112 
20,  040,  399 
8,  7^7,  238 

175,397,626 
24,111,257 
24,060,651 
20,617,480 
9,835,982 
9,  178,  150 

8,931,569 
8,  620,  278 
7,495,743 
6,  496,  436 
6,053,717 

I 

2 

3 
4 
5 
6 

i 

9 

10 

Virginia  
Illinois 

Michigan  
Indiana 

West  Virginia..  .  . 
Missouri  

Kentucky.. 

BULLETIN  226. 


TABLE  3 — Concluded. 
Leading  Counties  in  New  York. 


CENSUS  OK  1890. 

CENSUS  OF  K,OO. 

No.  bearing 
trees  iSgo. 

Bushels  of 
apples  for  the 
year  1889. 

j* 
c 

rt 
& 

5 

2 
I 

7 
13 
4 
3 
14 
15 
43 
37 

No.  trees  of 
bearing  age 
1900. 

Bushels  of       [     j* 
apples  for  year        ^ 

1899.            |     « 

Monroe  
Niagara  
Wayne  .  ... 

758,  729 
1,033,454 
659,  890 
591,767 
288,  762 

364,  333 
425,  236 
251,329 
460,  in 
366,  536 
730,458 

439,  682 
623,  204 
1,030,381 
321,726 
194,916 
578,679 

591,073 
190,  038 

175,704 
32,  999 
65,212 

789,  409 
924,  086 
796,610 
629,  4OI 

400,  81  1 
336,  135 
419,  483 
347,  497 
449,317 
434,319 
631,283 

1,436,391 
1,421,796 
1,393,585 
1,391,630 
990,  244 
979,411 

933,  764 
901,  162 
825,633 

7l8,  201 
476,091 

I 
2 

3 
4 

6 
9 

10 

15 

Orleans  

Dutchess  

Westchester  
Ontario  

Ulster  

Chautauqua  
Cattaraugns  
Erie 

TABLE  4. 
Pounds  of  dried  and  evaporated  fruit  produced  in  1899,  from  the  census  of  1900. 


Pounds  of  dried 
fruit. 

Per  cent. 

Rank. 

United  States 

144  804  638 

10O  0 

California 

117  Q^   727 

81  A 

I 

New  York 

3  658  610 

2    ^ 

2 

Oregon 

2   8l8   2OO 

I    Q 

? 

North  Carolina 

2   744  <mO 

4 

Tennessee 

2,  $^,  8lO 

c 

Counties  in  New  York. 


Pounds  of  dried 
fruit. 

Per  cent 
of  the 
N.  Y. 

product. 

Rank. 

Wayne.    . 

2  608,  "3^0 

73   8 

j 

Ontario.  .....                   ...                                          ... 

co8,  ^oo 

J7     Q 

2 

Yates  .      ... 

105,  820 

2  O 

? 

Monroe  .    .       

87,  1  60 

2  4 

A 

Orleans  

Q,  SOO 

0   ^ 

IO 

AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      253 


TABLE  5. 
Value  of  orchard  products,  1850  to  TQOO,  from  the  census  reports. 

1 

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BULLETIN  226. 


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'$!"£££   ^  ^  ^  ^"S  "fe.sS^^  'o*^  c   ^^ 

-  ;  |j?.a« 
§1  j^ll 

AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      255 


TABLE  6. 
Exports  of  Apples* 


' 

FRESH. 

DRIED. 

Barrels. 

Value. 

Ave'ge 
price. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

Average 
price. 

1851 

28,  842 
18,411 

15^26 

33?  959 
74,  287 
33,201 
27,711 
32,  979 
78,  809 

$71,367 
43,635 
107,283 
51,766 
107,643 
143,884 
135,  280 

74,  363 
99,  803 
206,  055 

$2-47 
2.37 
2.38 

3-17 
1.94 
4.07 
2.68 

2^61 

1852  

i8<u 

1855 

;;;;;;;;:; 

1856 



1858 

1860    

Annual  average. 
1861  . 

38,860 

$104,  i  08 

$2.68 



112,523 
66,767 
174,502 

183,969 
120,317 
51,612 

29,  577 
19,874 

38,  157 

$269,  363 
238,  923L, 
364,  628 
487,  140 
481,  334 
246,  118 
142,  023 
94,  748 

250,013 

$2-39 
3.58 
2.09 
2.65 
4.00 

4-77 
4.80 

4-77 
6.03 

1862  

1863  

1864 

2,841,532 
892,  075 
551,350 
510,  750 

775,  700 
836,  no 

$246,051 
55!  265 

79,  922 
121,910 

79,  387 

$0.087 
.118 
.IOO 

•157 
•095 

1865 

1866  

1867  

1868 

1869      .. 

1870 

Annual  average. 
1871  

88,589 

$283,810 

$3.20 

1,067,920 

$114,681 

$0.107 

49,088 
36,  508 
241,663 
44,  928 
276,  209 
64,  472 
417,065 
101,617 
505,018 
407,911 

$136,693 
198,  948 
819,664 
204,312 
722,  247 
221,764 
986,112 
386,  261 

98o,455 
i,  190,560 

$2.78 
5-45 
3-39 
4-55 
2.61 

3-44 
2.36 
3-8o 
1-94 

I,  150,  122 
2,  644,  592 
4,483,186 

4,  234,  736 

713,840 
14,318,052 
4,188,173 

7,  379,  836 
3,158,367 

$79,  026 
190,  560 
272,  028 
294,  893 

67^915 
920,  292 
260,  085 
296,  794 
192,  069 

$0.069 

'.06  1 
.O7O 
.080 

.064 
.062 
.040 
.061 

1872  

1873  

1874 

187=; 

1876  

1877  

1878 

1870 

1880 

Annual  average. 
1881 

214,448 

$584,  702 

$2-73 

4,  632,  460 

$289,986       $0.063 

1,117,065 
176,  704 
313,921 
105,400 
668,  867 

744,  539 
591,868 
489,  570 

d  circular  i( 

'  539,'  543 
1,085,230 
422,  447 
1,572,  126 
1,810,606 
1,382,872 

),   Division  o 

$2  .  06 

3  •  05 
3.46 
4.01 

2-35 

2-34 
2.82 

f  Fore 

22,  623,  652 

2,  893,  270 

10,  187,957 
5,  558,  746 
18,416,573 
10,  473,  183 
8,130,396 
11,803,  161 

ign  Markets 

'  228^  945 
786,800 

i  ,  062,  859 
548,  434 

812^682 
U.   S.   Dej 

.079 

•077 
.071 
.058 

-0!1 
.069 

>artment 

1882  .  . 

1883  . 

1884 

1885  
1886 

1887 

1888 

^Bulletin  64,  an 

of  Agriculture, 
t  Record  not  kept. 


256 


BULLETIN  226. 


TABLE  6 — Concluded. 


FRESH. 

DRIED. 

Barrels. 

Value. 

Ave'ge 
price. 

Pounds. 

Value. 

Average 
price. 

1889  .  . 

042  406 

$2   24Q    37S 

$2    ^Q 

22    102    S7Q 

$1    201    O70 

$0  0=54 

1890  

4^3    ^06 

I    2^1    4^6 

2   72 

20  86  i  462 

I    038  682 

050 

Annual  average. 

560,385 

$1,397,377 

$2.49 

13,305,098 

$773,  508 

$0.058 

1891  
1892    . 

135,207 
9?8   747 

$476,897 

2   407  Q^6 

$3-53 
2    S7 

6,973,168 
26  042  063 

$409,  605 
i  288  10^ 

$0.059 
O49 

1893  .  . 

408  014 

I    OQ7  067 

I'M 

7  066  810 

482  085 

061 

1894  
1895  

78,  580 

818,711 

242,617 

I,  0^4,  3l8 

3.09 

2    7Q 

2,  846,  645 
7,  o8e   046 

168,054 

461,  214 

.059 

06  5 

1896  
1897  

360,  002 
I,  5O3,  981 

930,  289 
2,  371,  143 

2.58 
i  58 

26,691,963 

3O,  77  S,  401 

1,340,507 

I,  340,  I  SO 

.050 

.044 

1898 

60  ^  ^oo 

I    684    717 

2    78 

-3T    o^I    2^4 

I    8Q7   72  ^ 

06  1 

1890 

-jgo   222 

I    2IO  4SQ 

^  18 

IQ    ^OS    7^O 

I    24S    73^ 

065 

1  000     . 

526   636 

I    444   6  ^  ^ 

2   74 

^4   064   OIO 

2   247  8^1 

064 

Annual  average. 

575,  549 

$1,382,102 

$2.40 

19,  368,  301 

$1,088,104 

$0.056 

1901  

883,673 

$2,  058,  964 

$2    33 

28,  309,  O23 

$1,  510,  581 

$0.053 

1902 

4SQ    7IO 

i  628  886 

3C/1 

I  5   664  468 

I    IOO    ^03 

076 

1903 

I    656    129 

4  ^81  801 

2  6; 

^Q   646   2Q7 

?    ^78  63  S 

"£ 
060 

1904     . 

2  018  262 

5446   47^ 

-7    70 

48  ^o  i  66  s 

2    701,421 

058 

Areas- — There  are  in  Walworth  township  i, 773/4  acres  of  orchard 
made  up  of  areas  as  large  or  larger  than  one  acre.  This  township  con- 
tains about  34}^  square  miles.  There  are,  therefore,  51  acres  of  apples 
per  square  mile ;  or  a  little  over  8  per  cent  of  the  land  is  devoted  to 
orchards.  In  Ontario  township  there  are  about  40  acres  per  square  mile, 
in  Macedon  about  19  acres.  With  the  exception  of  Walworth  and  prob- 
ably Marion  townships,  it  may  be  said  that  the  area  devoted  to  orchards 
increases  as  we  approach  the  lake. 

The  total  area  devoted  to  apples  in  the  county  is  about  21,000  acres. 
The  area  of  the  county  is  621  square  miles.  This  gives  33.8  acres  of 
apples  per  square  mile,  or  5.3  per  cent.  The  census  shows  that  there  are 
305,299  acres  of  improved  land  in  farms.  The  apple  orchards  equal  6.9 
per  cent  of  this  area. 

According  to  the  census  report  for  1899,  there  were  796,610  "  trees 
of  bearing  age  "  in  the  county.  This  survey  shows  the  average  num- 
ber per  acre  to  be  41.8.  This  number  of  trees  would  therefore  repre- 
sent an  area  of  about  19,000  acres.  Probably  2,000  acres  were  not  of 
bearing  age,  or  have  been  set  since  1899.  This  would  seem  to  support 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      257 

the  above  estimate,  or  perhaps  the  estimate  substantiates  the  census 
returns,  for  this  work  should  be  much  more  accurate  than  the  census. 

The  average  area  for  each  proprietor  in  Walworth  is  5.4  acres.  This 
includes  all  orchards  as  large  as  one  acre.  In  the  remainder  of  the 
county  such  small  orchards  were  not  recorded,  so  that  the  average 
does  not  give  an  accurate  idea  of  the  average  size.  The  average  of 
those  examined  was  17.2  acres. 

The  development  of  the  commercial  orchard. — Half  a  century  ago  the 
agriculture  of  Western  New  York  was  grain  raising  and  general  farm- 


FIG.  40. — Many  of  the  public  roads  are  lined  with  apple-trees. 

ing.  The  orchards  were  "  kitchen  orchards."  They  were  planted 
around  the  house  or  in  some  corner  that  could  not  be  used  for  the 
regular  crops.  The  busy  farmer  paid  little  attention  to  the  trees.  He 
merely  gathered  the  apples,  and  gave  about  the  same  attention  to  the 
orchard  that  the  boys  gave  to  the  chestnut  tree.  The  apples  were  a  clean 
gift.  If  there  were  enough  for  the  kitchen  and  .the  cider  barrel  the  farmer 
was  satisfied.  He  had  no  quarrel  with  the  worms  or  the  scab  fungus. 
The  more  worms  the  more  cider  apples,  and  since  the  farmer  sometimes 
appreciated  the  cider  barrel  fully  as  much  as  he  did  the  apple  barrel,  he 
was  willing  to  share  the  crop  with  the  insects. 


258  BULLETIN  226. 

About  1860  men  began  to  plant  real  commercial  orchards.  For  the 
first  time  in  the  history  of  the  new  world,  large  commercial  apple  orchards 
were  planted  with  a  view  to  selling  the  fruit.  It  is  no  wonder  that 
some  mistakes  were  made.  The  old  ideas  gained  from  the  kitchen 
orchard  and  cider  manufacture  were  naturally  carried  over  into  the  new 
industry.  Little  was  really  known  about  the  apple-tree.  No  one  knew 
much  about  insects  and  fungi,  or  how  to  treat  them.  Nor  did  they  know 
how  to  market  fruit.  Transportation  and  markets  had  to  be  developed. 
The  poor  fruit  and  low  prices  discouraged  many  men.  A  few  even  cut 
down  their  orchards. 

But  these  years  accomplished  much.  The  cheap  apples  educated 
the  taste  of  the  public  and  created  a  demand  for  more  apples.  Together, 
the  farmer  and  Experiment  Station  man  have  worked  out  methods  of 
culture,  and  have  learned  how  to  control  the  enemies  of  the  apple. 

But  it  takes  time  for  new  ideas  to  become  established.  The  farmer 
is  conservative.  It  is  well  that  he  is  so.  Because  he  moves  slowly,  he 
moves  surely.  He  never  needs  to  retrace  his  steps.  We  cannot  ex- 
pect every  one  to  accept  all  the  new  ideas  in  orchard  treatment  as 
soon  as  they  are  advanced.  It  has  always  required  a  generation  of 
men  to  establish  any  new  agricultural  system.  Changes  must  largely 
come  through  the  new  generation.  Some  mature  men  can  readily 
adapt  themselves  to  new  conditions,  but  it  is  usually  the  young  man, 
born  under  these  conditions,  who  really  accepts  them. 

The  many  neglected  orchards  are  records  of  the  agriculture  of  the 
past,  the  growing  number  that  are  well  cared  for  are  the  forerunners 
of  the  new.  In  the  next  fifty  years  the  lake  counties  of  western  New 
York  seem  destined  to  become  one  continuous  fruit  farm  of  apples, 
pears,  peaches,  cherries,  plums  and  small  fruits. 

The  change  from  general  farming  to  fruit  farming  has  been  very' 
gradual.  The  decrease  in  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  western  compe- 
tition have  forced  men  who  were  trained  in  grain  farming  and  who 
preferred  that  work  to  become  fruit  growers.  The  grain  crops  have 
generally  ceased  to  be  profitable  when  grown  for  market.  This  has 
directed  attention  to  the  small  apple  orchard  which  has  so  frequently 
supported  a  family  when  the  remainder  of  the  farm  gave  no  profit,  or 
an  actual  loss.  There  are  many  men  who  still  neglect  the  orchard 
to  care  for  the  field  crops  when  there  is  not  time  to  take  good  care  of 
both,  but  others  take  the  businesslike  view  and  tend  to  the  most  profit- 
able crop  first. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      259 

All  through  this  'report  the  fewer  orchards,  poorer  care,  and  less 
yields  in  the  south  part  of  the  county  are  apparent.  This  difference  may 
be  due  partly  to  the  more  favorable  climate  near  the  lake,  but  this  factor 
is  a  minor  one.  The  south  part  of  the  county  has,  in  general,  soils  that 
retain  their  fertility  longer  than  those  in  the  north  part.  The  grain  crops 
consequently  continued  profitable  for  a  longer  time.  The  orchards  are 
less  profitable  because  less  care  is  given  to  them.  When  equally  well 
cared  for  they  have  given  as  good  crops  as  have  those  in  the  north  part 
of  the  county. 

The  last  few  years  have  seen  a  rapid  improvement  in  orchard 
management.  Ten  years  ago  there  were  few  cultivated  orchards  ex- 
cept those  in  which  crops  were  grown.  Orchards  were  quite  commonly 
considered  to  be  an  unprofitable  investment.  How  could  they  be 
profitable  when  not  tilled,  pruned,  fertilized  or  sprayed?  But  a 
gradual  improvement  has  been  taking  place  and  has  been  reflected  in 
the  increased  profits,  until  apples  are  now  looked  upon  as  the  money- 
producing  crop  of  the  county.  Nearly  all  orchards  have  received  im- 
proved care  in  some  respect.  It  may  have  been  nothing  more  than  a 
spraying  or  pruning,  or  an  application  of  manure  when  all  of  these  were 
needed,  but  the  trees  have  almost  invariably  responded  to  any  kind  of 
improved  care.  Fourteen  per  cent  have  been  distinctly  renovated  during 
the  past  ten  years.  These  have  been  fairly  well  cared  for  in  every  way. 

The  canker  worm  formerly  devastated  large  numbers  of  orchards 
year  after  year.  Spraying  came  into  popularity  in  combating  this  pest. 
The  canker  worm  is  now  almost  exterminated,  but  the  many  other  good 
effects  of  spraying  have  firmly  established  this  practice.  Even  those 
orchards  which  are  not  sprayed  must  be  greatly  benefited,  because  the 
men  who  do  spray  help  to  keep  the  insect  enemies  of  the  entire  neighbor- 
hood in  check. 

But  what  has  been  done  in  the  past  ten  years  in  renovating  orchards 
is  small  in  comparison  with  what  remains  to  be  done.  The  apple- 
consuming  public  is  constantly  demanding  a  better  product.  This  means 
that  the  fruit-grower  who  can  not  or  will  not  produce  good  apples  must 
fall  out  of  the  race.  Each  year  a  large  number  of  such  men  is  giving 
place  to  energetic  men  who  are  not  satisfied  to  grow  anything  but  the 
best.  It  is  these  good  fruit-growers  that  will  insure  the  continued 
supremacy  of  New  York  apples. 


260 


BULLETIN  226. 


Picking  the  crop,    The  customary  method, 


CHAPTER   II. 
TILLAGE. 

Acreage  of  tilled  and  untilled  orchards- — About  30  per  cent  of  the 
orchards  that  were  set  before  1880  were  tilled  in  1903.  This  percent- 
age is  slightly  below  what  it  would  have  been  in  a  favorable  season. 
The  very  dry  weather  in  the  early  spring  prevented  many  from 
plowing. 

About  half  of  the  orchards  of  the  county  have  been  in  sod  five  to  ten 
years  or  more.  The  other  half  are  tilled  more  or  less.  In  the  south 
part  very  few  old  orchards  are  tilled, — only  12  per  cent  in  1903.  In 
the  north  part  tillage  is  much  more  common.  It  is  practiced  more  in 
Walworth  township  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  county.  Here  less 
than  one-third  of  the  orchards  are  in  sod  permanently  (see  Table  7  and  8). 

TABLE  7. 
Treatment  prior  to  1903.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  THE 
COUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 

cent. 

Tilled  5  years  or  more.. 

44 

307^ 

2S 

12 

2I9M 

I.S 

56 

527X 

20 

Tilled  most  years  

64 

242 

20 

8 

208 

14 

72 

450 

17 

Sod  most    years,   tilled 

occasionally  

73 

323 

27 

18 

195^ 

13 

91 

5i8X 

IQ 

Sod  5  years,  or  more.  .  . 

87 

335 

28 

58 

852^ 

58 

145 

1187/2 

44 

TABLE  8. 
Treatment  in  1903  of  orchards  set  before  1880. 


WAI.  WORTH. 

SOUTH  PART  COUNTY. 

NOR'H  PARTCOUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

TREATMENT. 

.  « 

n"0 

. 

rt*° 

. 

ft73 

±4 

«-  *-J 

Jl 

I<H    O 

Acres. 

£§ 

jjj 

Acres. 

£§ 

II 

Z  o 

Acres. 

^§ 

Acres. 

Sod(not  pastured) 

132 

460 

30 

9 

95 

23 

17 

218^ 

19 

158 

773^ 

25 

Sod  (cattle  pas- 

ture) 

71 

^42 

22 

18 

I7TJ4 

A'l 

Id 

•J-3-} 

2Q 

IO7 

848  v> 

27 

Sod  (sheep  pas- 

ture) 

8 

47 

3 

§ 

44 

II 

II 

2^Q 

21 

24 

-J-JQ 

1  1 

Sod  (hog  pasture) 

44 

151 

10 

6 

46 

II 

3 

27 

2 

53 

224 

7 

Total  sod 

2^ 

IOOO 

6e. 

38 

3^8^ 

88 

^c 

8l7^ 

71 

15^8 

2176 

7O 

Tilled  

124 

538^ 

35 

6 

49 

12 

17 

343 

30 

147 

930^ 

30 

261 


262 


BULLETIN  226. 


Crops  were  grown  in  1903  in  about  one-third  of  the  tilled  orchards. 
About  8  per  cent  of  the  entire  area,  or  27  per  cent  of  the  tilled  area,  was 
sown  to  cover-crops,  to  be  plowed  under.  The  remainder  were  tilled 
without  any  crop,  but  a  cover-crop  of  weeds  was  quite  common. 

Three-fourths  of  the  orchards  set  since  1879  were  tilled  in  1903. 
Crops  were  grown  in  all  but  7  per  cent  of  those  that  were  tilled.  The 
young  orchard  generally  takes  its  place  as  one  field  in  the  crop  rota- 
tion. This  keeps  it  in  sod  about  one-fourth  of  the  time,  in  small  grain 
one-fourth  of  the  time,  and  in  tilled  crops  half  the  years  (Table  9). 


TABLE  9. 
Treatment  in  1903  of  orchards  set  since 


TREATMENT. 

WALWORTH.  • 

REMAINDER  OF  THE 

CofNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

Sod  (not  pastured)  

13 
3 

41 
11% 

S^/2 
163^ 

19 

5 

4 

4 

i6y2 
-82 

4 

20 

17 

7 

57X 
93K 

9 

15 

Sod  (pastured)  

Total  sod 

16 

48 

24 
76 

8 
16 

98^ 
312 

24 
76 

24 
64 

151 

475^ 

24 
76 

Tilled 

Yields  of  tilled  and  untilled  orchards. — Table  10  gives  the  yields  for 
four  years  of  orchards  that  have  been  tilled  every  year  for  at  least  five 
years  previous  to  the  crop  reported,  those  that  were  tilled  over  half 
the  years,  those  that  were  tilled  occasionally  but  not  half  the  time,  and 
for  those  that  have  been  in  sod  every  year  for  at  least  five  years. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  tilled  orchards  have  given  a  uniformly  large/ 
yield  than  those  in  sod,  the  four-year  average  of  the  tilled  ones  being 
80  per  cent  above  that  of  the  untilled.  Perhaps  the  most  striking  point 
in  the  tables  is  the  uniform  agreement  of  the  averages  for  each  of 
the  three  parts  of  the  county  and  for  each  of  the  four  years.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  these  tables  include  every  orchard  set  before  1880, 
for  which  reports  of  yields  could  be  obtained,  and  that  every  orchard  in 
Walworth  was  examined.  There  can  be  no  further  question  as  to  whether 
the  average  sod  or  the  average  tilled  orchard  in  Wayne  county  gives  the 
larger  yield. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     263 


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264 


BULLETIN  226. 


A  part  of  this  very  great  difference  is  doubtless  due  to  other  factors. 
The  man  who  regularly  tills  his  orchard  is  more  likely  to  fertilize, 
prune  and  spray  well.  To  see  how  much  of  this  difference  is  due  to 
tillage  and  how  much  is  due  to  other  factors  another  classification  was 
made. 

Table  n  shows  the  average  yields  of  those  orchards  that  have  been 
fairly  well  cared  for.  They  differ  only  in  the  factor  of  tillage.  All 
have  received  some  fertilization,  have  been  fairly  well  pruned,  are 
not  diseased  or  in  bad  condition  from  any  cause.  Of  these  well  cared 
for  orchards  the  tilled  ones  gave  an  average  of  35  per  cent  above  the 
untilled.  This  tabulation  doubtless  gives  too  high  a  yield  for  the 

TABLE  n. 

Yield  in  bushels  of  tilled  and  sod  orchards.     Average  for  the  entire  county  of  trees 
set  before  1880.     Orchards  all  well  cared  for. 


TRF  ATM  F  *JT 

1900. 

igor. 

No. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

Tilled  5  years  or  more  

25 

I753/ 

148 

22 

177/4 

QQ 

Tilled  most  years 

22 

181 

-jq-j 

21 

1  88 

38 

Sod  most  years 

24 

200 

•>33 

260 

2S 

244^ 

72 

Sod  5  years  or  more 

2K 

^uy 
2O6 

224 

•*l 

24Q 

4C 

TABLE  n — Concluded. 


1902. 

• 

1903. 

Four- 

TREATMENT. 

No. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

year 
average. 

Tilled  5  years  or  more.  .  .  . 
Tilled  most  years  

38 
38 

401  ^ 
26l>^ 

311 
339 

23 

16 

345 

99  Y" 

326 
249 

271 

245 

Sod  most  years  

46 

365^ 

235 

15 

122 

257 

206 

Sod  5  years  or  more 

47 

^61A 

260 

22 

IC73/ 

263 

2OO 

orchards  in  sod,  for  in  making  it  all  diseased  ones  were  thrown  out. 
In  many  cases  these  should  have  been  included,  for  the  disease  fre- 
quently gets  a  foothold  because  the  sod  has  lowered  the  vitality  of  the 
trees.  The  real  difference  due  to  sod  will  therefore  lie  between  the 
80  per  cent  shown  by  Table  10  and  the  35  per  cent  shown  by  Table  u. 

Does  tillage  pay? — These  tables  do  not  show  that  every  sod  orchard 
should  be  tilled,  but  they  do  show  that  it  would  pay  to  till  the  average 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      265 

one.  If  a  sod  orchard  is  giving  good  yields,  and  if  the  trees  are  mak- 
ing sufficient  growth  to  keep  up  their  vitality,  it  may  be  desirable  to 
keep  it  in  sod.  By  the  liberal  use  of  barnyard  manure  or  straw  mulch, 
an  orchard  may  be  kept  in  good  condition  without  tillage.  The  trouble 
is  that  so  many  do  not  receive  enough  of  either.  The  same  results  may 
be  accomplished  with  much  less  manure  if  the  orchard  is  tilled.  If  the 
orchard  is  in  sod  and  is  not  yielding  well,  or  if  the  trees  are  losing  their 
vitality,  even  if  the  yield  is  still  good,  it  will  probably  pay  to  till. 


FIG.  41. — One  year's  growth  in  a  cornfield.    A  five-acre  orchard  planted  by  Jay  E. 
Allis.     Compare  with  Fig.  42. 


Whatever  the  best  treatment  of  a  thrifty  orchard  may  be,  there  is 
no  question  about  the  advisability  of  tilling  one  that  needs  renovating 
or  of  tilling  young  trees  (see  page  309,  and  Figs.  41,  42,  43). 

There  are  some  marked  advantages  of  sod.  It  requires  less  work 
to  leave  the  trees  in  sod.  If  the  land  is  very  stony,  the  tillage  brings 
the  stones  to  the  surface  and  makes  a  bad  place  for  the  apples  to  fall. 
Sod  is  also  better  to  haul  spray  rigs  over.  Perhaps  the  greatest 
advantage  is  in  having  a  sod  for  the  apples  to  fall  on.  This  is  par- 
ticularly desirable  when  the  entire  crop  is  to  be  shaken  off  for  evapo- 


266 


BULLETIN  226. 


rating.  Cover-crops  will,  to  some  extent,  take  the  place  of  sod,  but  it  is 
difficult  to  get  a  good  cover-crop  under  large  trees.  Apples  usually  color 
better  on  sod  and  are  said  to  keep  better,  but  are  not  so  large.  Some 
experiments  are  now  being  conducted  on  these  points. 


FIG.  42. — One  year's  growth  zvhen  set  in  timothy  sod.    A  i$-acre  orchard  in  Orleans 
county.     (Compare  wit!i  Fig.  41.)     Here  the  trees  are  of  secondary  importance. 

Tillage,  fertilization,  pruning  and  spraying  are  the  chief  factors  that 
enter  into  good  care  of  an  orchard.  One  or  more  of  these  may  some- 
times be  omitted  without  seriously  affecting  the  trees.  Tillage  may 

,     lessen    the    need    for 

fertilization.  Fertili- 
zation may  help  to 
make  up  for  lack  of 
tillage.  Some  years 
few  insects  or  fungi 
attack  the  trees,  so 
that  spraying  is  not 
much  needed.  Very 
frequently  a  grower 
becomes  impressed 

with  the  importance 
FIG.  43. — A  few  farrows  plowed  along  each  tree  row  r  £  ,,  £ 

i        •;    a         t     j     TT/     u  •,  i,  *        of  one   of  these   fac- 

lessen  the  evil  effects  of  sod.     n onld  it  not  pay  better 

to  raise  only  tilled  crops?  tors    and    makes    a 

hobby  of  it  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  the  others ;  but  the  most  successful  man  is  the  one  who 
keeps  a  proper  balance  between  all  four,  and  who  does  not  expect  spraying 
to  replace  manure,  tillage  or  pruning,  or  vice  versa. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      267 

Where  does  your  orchard  come,  in  the  table  on  page  350?  Is  it  where 
you  want  it  to  be?  If  so,  continue  your  present  methods;  if  not,  then 
try  to  find  out  where  the  trouble  is. 

The  results  of  good  and  bad  treatment  are  not  always  apparent  the  first 
year. — The  great  difficulty  in  determining  what  kind  of  treatment  pays 
best  in  any  particular  orchard  is  the  fact  that  it  may  be  several  years 
before  the  results  are  apparent  in  the  difference  in  crops.  If  this  fact 
were  kept  in  mind  by  the  orchardists,  a  very  large  part  of  the  differ- 


FIG.  44. —  Tillage  v.  neglect.     The  rows  on  the  right  were  left  in  sod,  those  on  the  left 
were  tilled.     The  trees  were  otherwise  similarly  treated,  and  are  of  the  same  age. 

ence  of  opinion  as  to  the  best  method  of  caring  for  an  orchard  would 
disappear.  Very  frequently  a  grower  has  followed  a  few  years  of 
good  care  by  a  period  of  neglect  and  has  received  an  increased  yield 
as  a  result.  The  trees  may  be  making  almost  no  new  wood,  and  may 
be  so  lowered  in  vitality  as  to  be  easy  victims  of  canker  and  other 
diseases.  Yet  the  increased  crop  may  have  persuaded  the  grower  that 
this  is  the  ideal  treatment.  No  care  can  be  good  if  it  does  not  look 
out  for  the  future  of  the  orchard.  Many  orchards  need  treatment  that 
will  actually  decrease  the  yield  for  several  years,  while  care  that  will 


268 


BULLETIN  226. 


greatly  increase  the  yield  may  be  destroying  the  trees  or  shortening 
their  period  of  Jife.  The  most  profitable  crop  that  could  be  grown  in 
many  orchards  is  new  wood,  and  consequent  new  vigor  in  the  trees.  The 
returns  may  be  more  apparent  in  five  or  ten  years  than  in  the  first 
year  or  two.  Occasionally  there  is  an  orchard  that  is  growing  too 


FIG.  45. — One  kind  of  "culture."    This  twelve-acre  orchard  could  be  renovated 
and  made  a  good  orchard. 


fast  and  that  would  be  benefited  by  sod,  but  they  are  not  common. 
A  much  larger  number  are  dying  back  faster  than  new  wood  is  being 
formed. 

In  Fig.  44  is  shown  an  experiment  in  orchard  management  that  was 
carried  on  by  T.' G.  Yeomans  &  Sons  for  many  years.  The  trees  on  the 
left  were  tilled  and  fertilized.  Those  on  the  right  were  fertilized  the  same 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      269 


but  were  left  in  timothy  sod.  The  trees  in  sod  are  so  badly  weakened  that 
the  land  has  been  plowed  and  a  start  made  toward  renovating  them. 

Methods  of  tillage. — Orchards  are  commonly  plowed  in  the  fall. 
This  is  frequently  done  so  as  to  have  less  spring  work.  Early  spring 
plowing  would  seem  to  be  much  more  desirable  for  an  orchard.  The 
grass  or  weeds  will  hold  the  snow  and  leaves. 

In  a  few  orchards  the  roots  are  so  near  the  surface  as  to  prevent 
plowing.  Such  an  orchard  may  be  tilled  with  a  spading  harrow,  disk  or, 
on  sandy  soils,  with  a  spring-tooth  harrow. 

The  ideal  system  of  tillage  for  most  orchards  is  early  plowing  or 
disking,  followed  by  clean  tillage  until  about  July  ist.  Some  kind  of 
a  cover-crop  is  then  sown.  This  cover-crop  will  produce  humus  to  be 
plowed  under ;  it  furnishes  a  partial  substitute  for  sod  for  the  apples 
to  fall  on ;  it  will  help  to  remove  surplus  water  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  season  and  thus  cause  the  fruit  to  color  better.  Fig.  61  and  the 
frontispiece  show  orchards  that  are  receiving  this  kind  of  treatment. 

Methods  of  sod  treatment. — Many  of  the  orchards  that  are  in  sod  are 
pastured  by  cattle,  hogs,  sheep  and  horses.  From  some  hay  is  cut ; 
from  others  the  grass  is  not  removed, — usually  because  there  is  not 
enough  to  pay  for  cutting.  A  very  few  farmers  are  trying  the  so-called 
mulch  method  of  cutting  the  grass  that  grows  in  the  orchard  and 
leaving  it  where  it  falls  or  throwing  it  under  the  trees.  There  were 
not  enough  of  them,  nor  had  the  work  been  continued  long  enough 
so  that  a  statistical  report  could  be  made. 

Table  12  shows  the  yields  for  1902,  with  the  different  methods  of  sod 
treatment.  The  number  of  orchards  is  not  sufficient  to  give  con- 
clusive results.  It  would  appear  that  pasturing  with  cattle  is  the 
worst  possible  treatment  for  an  orchard,  a  conclusion  that  is  in 

TABLE  12. 

Yields  in  bushels  for  1902,  with  various  methods  of  sod  treatment.     Trees  set  before 

1880. 


TREATMENT. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

Pastured  with  hogs  

22 

me  */, 

Pastured  with  sheep  

luD/2 

271 

Pastured  with  cattle  

O 

CA 

232 

Sod,  not  pastured  

47 

jy^ 

oefii/ 

1? 

^Ou/2 

IO5 

270 


BULLETIN  226. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      271 

accord  with  the  appearance  of  the  orchards  thus  pastured.  Cattle  rub 
on  the  trees,  break  the  branches  and  browse  the  limbs  as  high  as  they 
can  reach.  The  few,  dollars  that  it  would  cost  to  procure  a  regular 
pasture  for  them  is  lost  many  times  over  by  the  damage  to  the  trees. 
Horses  are  not  so  frequently  pastured  in'  the  orchards,  but  are 
equally  injurious.  In  one  case  a  good  young  orchard  had  nearly  every 
tree  stripped  of  its  bark  by  a  span  of  horses.  The  orchard  was  worth 
about  five  times  as  much  as  the  horses. 

Next  in  the  scale  of  injuriousness  to  pasturing  cattle  in  an  orchard 
is  the  raising  of  hay  in  it.  The  hay  crop  grows  in  the  spring  at  the 
time  when  the  apple-trees  make  their  growth.  It  therefore  uses  the 
plant-food  and  water  at  the  time  when  the  trees  need  it  most.  If  the 
grass  is  left  on  the  ground  the 
mulch  helps  to  preserve  the 
moisture,  and  leaves  the 
plant-  food  so  that  the  damage 
is  not  so  great. 

Sheep  crop  the  grass  close 
to  the  ground,  and  so  to  some 
extent  prevent  the  large  evap- 
oration that  occurs  in  a  hay 

field.     The    manure    dropped 

,       ,,  ,          -  FIG.  47.  —  Sheep  have  removed  about  a  barrel' 

b     them  is  also  of  consider-  gf  ^^  fnm  ^  ^  {n 


able  value.  Fig.  46  shows  an 
orchard  that  is  pastured  by  sheep  early  in  the  season.  This  is  one  of  the 
best  sod  orchards.  Large  applications  of  barnyard  manure  are  used. 
Several  of  the  limbs  that  show  a  lack  of  foliage  are  infected  by  canker. 
If  sheep  are  allowed  to  run  in  the  orchard  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
season,  they  frequently  pick  many  apples.  If  prices  are  good,  the  apples 
eaten  may  be  of  more  value  than  the  sheep  (see  Fig.  47). 

Pasturing  with  hogs  seems  to  give  better  yields  than  any  other 
method  of  sod  treatment.  The  hogs  usually  do  considerable  rooting, 
and  so  prevent  the  formation  of  a  tough  sod.  In  some  cases  the 
orchard  that  has  hogs  in  it  might  almost  be  classed  as  a  tilled  orchard. 
The  difference  is  also  largely  due  to  the  manure.  The  hogs  receive  most 
of  their  food  from  outside  the  orchard,  so  that  there  is  a  constant  addi- 
tion to  the  plant-food  in  the  soil.  Cattle  and  sheep  are  usually  fed 
much  less. 


272  BULLETIN  226. 

Hogs  frequently  do  considerable  damage  to  the  trees,  particularly  if  the 
feed-yard  is  in  the  orchard.  Around  the  place  where  they  are  fed  they 
rub  the  trunks  and  roots,  pack  the  soil  so  as  to  make  it  impervious  to 
air,  and  sometimes  bark  the  trees.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  one  good 
apple-tree  is  worth  more  than  a  hog,  and  that  a  small  strip  of  bark 
removed  will  usually  result  in  a  decayed  tree.  There  should  always  be 
a  feed-yard  outside  the  orchard. 

Hogs  or  sheep  do  considerable  good  by  eating  the  apples  that  fall 
early,  and  so  disposing  of  many  worms. 

None  of  the  methods  of  sod  treatment  equal  tillage  in  average  yields. 
A  comparison  of  Table  12  with  Table  10  shows  the  force  of  this  statement. 


CHAPTER  III. 
FERTILIZATION. 

Fertilizers  used. — The  majority  of  orchards  receive  no  commercial 
fertilizer  or  green  manure,  but  are  given  a  limited*  amount  of  barn- 
yard manure — usually  much  too  limited.  One-third  receive  no  fer- 
tilizing of  any  kind.  Sixty  per  cent  receive  barnyard  manure,  either 
alone  or  in  combination  with  commercial  fertilizer,  green  manure,  etc. ; 
green  manure  is  used  alone  or  in  combination  in  12  per  cent;  commercial 
fertilizer  is  used  alone  or  with  other  manures  in  13  per  cent  (see 
Table  13). 

These  figures  show  too  high  a  percentage  receiving  some  kind  of 
fertilizer.  In  many  cases  only  a  little  manure  was  applied,  but  the 
orchard  was  included  with  those  receiving  manures.  In  others  the 
fertilization  was  given  so  long  ago  as  to  be  of  no  consequence  at 
present.  Probably  less  than  half  the  orchards  receive  enough  to 
entitle  them  to  be  properly  included  with  those  receiving  fertilization. 

TABLE  13. 
Summary  of  fertilisers  used.     All  ages  of  orchards  included. 


FERTILIZER. 

USED  ALONE. 

USED   WITH 
OTHER  FERTILIZERS. 

TOTAL. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

cent. 

None  .         

154 
272 

50 
31 

HQll/2 

1962% 

416 
409 

33-5 
59-7 

12.6 

12.3 

Barnyard  manure 
Commercial    fer- 
tilizer        

214 

10 
M 

1453^ 

103 
"7# 

44-3 

3-1 

3-5 

58 

40 
17 

509 
.    313 

291  y* 

.15-5 

Green  manure.  .  . 

Orchards  receiving  no  fertilization  of  any  kind. 


No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Walworth 

117 

AC? 

•J-f      A 

South  part  of  county 

21 

2AI 

62  2 

North  part  of  county  

16 

AQ71A 

28   I 

In  many  of  the  fertilized  orchards  the  manure  was  used  with  a  view 
to  helping  some  crop  planted  in  the  orchard".  Of  course  if  it  is  applied, 
the  apple-trees  will  make  use  of  a  part  of  it. 


273 


274 


BULLETIN  226. 


Fertilisation  and  yield. — The  records  of  the  use  of  barnyard  manure 
and  fertilizers  do  not  cover  a  long  enough  period  to  be  used  in  com- 
paring crops  before  1902.  The  average  yields  of  fertilized  orchards 
for  the  years  1902  and  1903  were  55  bushels  above  that  of  those  that 
were  unfertilized  (see  Table  14). 


TABLE  14. 

Yield  in  bushels  for  1902  and  1903  for  fertilized  and  unfertilised  orchards.     Trees 

set  before  1880. 


1902. 

IQ03. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

average. 

Fertilized  

292 

2,  Il6X 

233 

147 

1,210)4 

28l 

257 

Unfertilized   

III 

692 

173 

44 

343/2 

231 

2O2 

Necessity  for  fertilization. — The  cultivated  orchards  demand  much 
less  fertilization  than  the  untilled  ones,  for  the  tillage  makes  food  that 
is  in  the  soil  available.  There  are,  however,  very  few  soils  that  do  not 
need  some  material  added  at  least  in  the  form  of  green  manure. 

Many  of  the  less  progressive  growers  fail  to  recognize  the  orchard 
as  a  crop  that  requires  food  as  do  other  crops.  A  common  reply  to  the 
question  of  the  kind  of  manure  used  was,  "  We  don't  raise  anything 
in  the  orchard  so  we  do  not  use  any  manure  or  fertilizer,"  the  growth 
of  wood,  leaves,  and  apples  not  being  recognized  as  a  drain  on  the  plant- 
food  in  the  soil.  But  the  number  of  those  who  recognize  the  orchard  as 
a  crop  requiring  food  and  care  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  small,  light- 
colored  leaves,  the  very  little  growth,  the  small  apples,  are  requests 
for  food.  The  owner  should  answer  the  demand  with  manure  or  tillage, 
usually  with  both. 

The  amount  of  plant-food  removed  by  the  apple  crop  compared  with 
that  removed  by  the  wheat  crop. — The  following  tables,  based  on  Bulletin 
No.  103  of  this  Station,  show  something  of  the  demands  made  by  the 
apple  orchard.  All  the  leaves  were  gathered  from  a  medium-sized, 
mature  apple-tree  and  were  analyzed.  The  trunk,  branches  and  the  roots 
were  also  analyzed.* 


*Cornell  Bulletin   103.     October,   1895.    This  bulletin  is  now  out  of  print. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK,     275 

TABLE  15. 
Plant-food  in  apple  leaves. 


Leaves  of  one 
tree  analyzed. 

Estimated  for  one 
acre  of  35  trees. 

Total  weight 

232  02  Ibs 

Total  weight  water            

I^O.  ^1 

Tota!  weight  dry  matter     

02.  51 

^      3  ~, 
06 

33  6    Ibs 

Total  weight  phosphoric  acid         i 

.77 

12.05      " 

Total  weierht  ootash.. 

1.32 

^                            LI 

46.2    " 

TABLE  16. 
Plant-food  in  wood  and  roots. 


Wood  and  roots 
of  one  tree 
analyzed. 

Estimated  for  one 
acre  of  35  trees. 

Estimated  amount 
removed  per 
year.* 

Total  weight               

5,251.4    Ibs. 

Total  weight  water  . 

2,  ^OO   l8     ' 

Total  weight  dry  matter 

2,0^1    22     ' 

Total  weight  nitrogen 

8  oo    ' 

283  15  Ibs. 

6  29  Ibs 

Total  weight  phosphoric  acid...  . 
Total  weight  potash  

3-07    ' 
7-55    ' 

107-45    " 
264  .  25    ' 

2.39    " 
5.87    " 

*To  get  the  estimate  of  the  amount  required  for  wood  and  roots  each  year,  it  was 
assumed  that  *«  of  the  mature  tree  was  grown  each  year.  Trees  45  years  old  are 
usually  larger  than  the  tree  analyzed. 


Grain   . . 
Straw  . 


TABLE  17. 

Composition  of  wheat. 

Water.  Nitrogen. 

. 14.75%  2.36% 


12.56 


•56 


Phosphoric 
acid. 

0.89% 
.12 


Potash. 

0.6l% 

•  51 


Water. 

85-3? 


Composition  of  apples. 

'hosph 
acid 

0.01^ 


Nitrogen. 
0.13* 


Phosphoric 
acid. 


Potash. 


276 


BULLETIN  226. 


TABLE  18. 
Total  plant-food  removed  in  one  year  by  wheat  and  by  apples. 


Nitrogen. 

Phosphoric  acid. 

Potash. 

10   SO  Ibs 

i  50  Ibs 

28  50 

Leaves  

33  60     " 

12  OS     " 

46  2O 

Wood  

6  20    (i 

2   30     " 

c  8? 

Total  .  . 

so.  IQ  Ibs. 

16.84  Ibs. 

80.  S7 

20  bushels  of 

wheat 

28  32  Ibs 

10  68  Ibs 

7    12 

^>  500  pounds 

wheat  straw 

14  oo    " 

1   00     " 

12   7S 

J.uu 

Total 

42  32  Ibs. 

13  68  Ibs 

2Q  07 

According  to  these  estimates  it  requires,  for  crops  of  the  size  indicated, 
about  four  times  as  much  potash,  and  more  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid, 
to  grow  the  apples  than  is  required  to  grow  the  wheat.  In  considering 
these  tables  there  are  several  points  to  keep  in  mind.  The  apple  roots 
go  deeper  into  the  ground  and  so  have  more  soil  from  which  to  draw 
their  food  supply.  If  the  ground  has  some  kind  of  a  crop  growing  on 
it,  the  leaves  may  be  largely  retained  in  the  orchard.  The  amount  of 
plant-food  used  by  the  wood  is  not  very  well  known,  as  it  is  difficult  to 
determine  what  an  average  growth  is.  But  even  the  300  bushels  of  apples, 
without  any  leaves  or  wood  growth,  require  more  potash  and  nearly  half 
as  much  nitrogen  as  is  required  to  produce  the  wheat  and  straw. 

Manure  may  be  shipped  in  from  the  cities. — A  few  of  the  more  pro- 
gressive growers  have  shipped  in  manure  from  Buffalo.  This  costs 
about  $28  per  car,  but  if  applied  when  needed  it  gives  a  very  large 
return.  Some  have  feared  to  use  it  on  account  of  the  danger  of  getting 
weed  seed.  There  seems  to  be  no  trouble  in  subduing  any  weeds  that 
come  with  it  when  it  is  applied  to  the  orchard.  There  may  be  some 
danger  of  animal  diseases  being  carried  in  the  manure.  A  much  larger 
total  of  manure  is  secured  from  the  many  smaller  cities  and  towns,  but 
this  is  usually  not  obtainable  in  very  large  quantities. 

Manure  may  be  profitably  secured  by  the  feeding  of  cattle. — A  few 
growers  have  fed  cattle  during  the  winter  in  order  to  secure  manure. 
This  enables  them  to  buy  their  fertilizer  in  the  form  of  feed.  The  cattle 
usually  give  a  fair  profit,  The  manure  obtained,  added  to  this,  makes 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      277 

the  practice  quite  profitable.  It  seems  probable  that  more  of  this 
winter  feeding  will  be  done  in  the  future.  The  expense  of  caring  for 
stock  in  the  winter  is  not  very  great.  The  fertilizing  value  of  the 
feed  is  frequently  over  half  of  its  cost.* 

Method  of  applying  manure. — Manure  is  almost  always  applied  in  a 
small  circle  around  the  base  of  the  tree.  This  is  a  serious  mistake. 
The  roots  of  a  bearing  orchard  occupy  all  the  ground.  Those  from 
one  row  may  extend  beyond  the  next  row.  The  small  feeding  roots 
are  naturally  most  numerous  at  some  distance  from  the  tree,  much  as 
the  active  twigs  are  found  at  the  ends  of  the  large  branches.  The 
manure  should  therefore  be  applied  to  the  entire  ground.  If  any  place 
is  not  covered,  let  it  be  that  near  the  trunk.  Professor  Roberts  has 
aptly  likened  the  application  around  the  trunk  to  putting  the  hay  under 
the  horse's  feet. 

Cover-crops. — More  orchards  are  in  need  of  humus  than  are  in  need 
of  the  direct  application  of  plant-food.  For  this  reason  the  applica- 
tion of  barnyard  manure  generally  gives  much  better  results  than  the 
use  of  fertilizers.  This  is  particularly  true  of  sod  orchards.  Tilled 
orchards  usually  do  as  well  when  green  manure  with  potash  and  phos- 
phoric acid  are  used.  On  some  of  the  stronger  soils  no  fertilization  of 
any  kind  may 'be  needed  for  many  years,  if  plenty  of  green  manure  is 
plowed  under. 

Eight  per  cent  of  the  mature  orchards  of  the  county  were  sown  to  cover- 
crops  in  1902.  Buckwheat  was  the  most  common,  followed  by  crim- 
son clover  and  common  red  clover.  Rye,  large  clover,  cow-peas,  alfalfa, 
peas  and  oats,  and  vetch  were  also  grown.  Buckwheat  furnishes  a  large 
amount  of  humus  and  leaves  the  soil  in  a  friable  condition.  It  is  not  a 
legume,  and  so  can1  not  use  nitrogen  from  the  air.  Crimson  clover  has 
generally  done  well,  but  some  growers  have 'had  difficulty  in  getting  a 
stand.  One  man  has  grown  it  every  other  year  for  fourteen  years. 
Common  red  clover  has  been  most  satisfactory  when  a  year  of  tillage 
has  been  followed  by  a  year  in  which  the  clover  is  cut  and  left  on  the 
land  to  be  plowed  under  the  second  year.  Peas  and  oats  have  given 
good  results  in  most  cases.f 

*For  tables  of  the  value  of  the  fertilizing  elements  in  various  feeds,  see  Cornell 
Bulletin  154. 

tFor  a  more  extended  discussion  of  orchard  cover-crops,  see  Cornell  Bulletin  198. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
PRUNING. 

The  former  methods  of  pruning. — Pruning  was  at  first  greatly  neg- 
lected. Just  as  the  majority  of  orchards  were  formerly  left  to  fight 
their  way  in  competition  with  other  plants,  so  the  limbs  in  each  tree 
were  allowed  to  fight  with  each  other.  Only  a  few  orchards  have 
been  well  pruned  from  the  time  of  planting.  In  some  pruning  was 
almost  entirely  neglected  for  years;  in  others  it  was  done  and  is  still 


FIG.  48. — Years  of  neglect  followed  by  too  severe  pruning. 

done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  do  more  harm  than  good.  There  is  a 
tendency  among  careless,  farmers  to  let  the  trees  go  for  several  years 
and  then  give  them  a  "thorough  trimming"  (see  Fig.  48),  rather  than 
prune  some  every  year,  as  the  careful  grower  does.  Perhaps  one-fifth 
of  the  orchards  are  now  well  primed,  and  this  number  is  being  added  to 
each  year,  as  the  number  of  real  fruit-growers  increases.  The  problem 
of  pruning  among  the  bearing  trees  of  Wayne  county  is,  therefore,  not 
that  of  training  an  ideal  tree  from  the  time  it  is  planted ;  but  the  far" 
more  difficult  problem  of  correcting  the  effects  of  former  neglect. 

How  wounds  heal. — Intelligent  pruning  is  based  on  a  knowledge  of 
the  causes  of  decay,  and  of  the  way  in  which  wounds  heal. 

278 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      279 

The  living  and  growing  part  of  a  tree  is  the  cambium  layer.  This 
is  a  tissue  lying  upon  the  outside  of  the  wood  and  beneath  the  bark. 
From  its  outside  it  produces  bark,  and  from  its  inside  it  produces  wood. 
It  is  this  layer  of  young,  tender  cells  that  makes  the  barkr"  slip  "  so  readily 
in  early  summer.  The  inner  part  of  the  tree  is  not  active ;  its  value  to  the 
tree  is  in  supporting  the  living  part.  If  this  center  part  decays,  the  tree 
usually  continues  to  grow  till  it  breaks  down  (see  Fig.  52). 

This  dead  inner  wood  is  protected  by  the  bark  and  living  portion 
so  that  fungi  and  bacteria  cannot  reach  it.  When  a  large  limb  is 
removed  the  seal  is  broken  and  the  dead  wood  is  exposed.  Having 
no  life,  it  cannot  resist  infection  by  germs  any  more  than  a  dead  log 
can  do  so.  The  safety  of  the  tree  depends  on  having  the  wound 
healed  over  before  it  becomes  infected.  The  wound  heals  by  the 
growth  of  the  cambium  layer.  If  the  wound  is  small  it  will  usually 
be  sealed  up  before  the  fungi  get  established ;  but  if  the  dead  stub  is 
exposed  for  a  long  time  the  wood-rot  fungi  are  almost  certain  to  attack  it 
and  cause  the  trunk  to  decay.  If  the  wound  does  then  heal  over,  the 
mycelium  of  the  fungi  is  established  and  may  continue  to  grow  within  the 
tree.*  The  decay  may  reach  into  the  living  tissue,  but  its  most  serious 
effects  are  in  so  weakening  the  trunk  as  to  cause  it  to  break  down.  In 
order  to  avoid  the  rotten  trunks  -that  are  so  common  in  the  majority  of 
the  orchards,  three  things  should  be  observed : 

1.  Large  limbs  should  not  be  removed  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary. 

2.  When  such  limbs  must  be  removed,  the  pruning  should  be  so  done 
as  to  favor  rapid  healing  of  the  wounds. 

3.  Large  wounds  should  be  protected  by  paint  till  the  tree  can  seal 
them. 

The  removal  of  large  limbs.— T\\t  ideal  way  would  be  to  have  the 
tree  so  pruned  from  the  time  it  is  planted  that  there  would  never  be 
occasion  for  the  removal  of  large  limbs.  But  very  many  orchards 
were  neglected  so  long  that  it  may  be  necessary  to  cut  out  such  limbs. 
Eighteen  per  cent  of  the  orchards  are  still  practically  unpruned.  In 
a  neglected  orchard  some  limbs  may  be  damaged  by  neglect  or  lack 
of  food.  Others  die  as  a  result  of  the  shade  caused  by  dense  tops,  or 
the  trees  being  too  close  together.  Even  in  a  well  cared  for  orchard 
an  occasional  limb  will  be  broken  by  the  wind,  or  by  too  heavy  a  load 
of  fruit,  or  will  die  from  other  causes.  But  much  of  the  removal  of 


*Cornell  Bulletin  193,  Shade  Trees  and  Timber-Destroying  Fungi. 


280 


BULLETIN  226. 


large  limbs  is  done  without  cause.  In  the  orchard  shown  in  Fig.  48, 
the  trees  had  too  many  of  these  as  a  result  of  neglect,  but  it  would 
have  been  better  to  have  thinned  the  tops  by  the  removal  of  small 
branches  than  by  cutting  out  the  scaffold  limbs.  It  takes  more  time 
to  prune  by  the  former  method,  but  the  time  is  well  spent.  The  ulti- 
mate death  of  most 
trees  can  be  traced  to 
the  careless  removal 
of  large  limbs.  The 
wound  is  too  large  to 
heal,  or  the  cut  is  made  in 
such  a  way  that  it  can  not 
heal.  Wood-rot  fungi  get  a 
foothold  and  soon  the  tree  has 
a  hollow  trunk.  The  wind  then 
breaks  off  the  branches  one  by  one 


till  the  tree  is  gone   (see  Figs.  52 
and  54). 

Stub  pruning. — Much  can  be  done 
to  prevent  the  fungi  and  bacteria  from 
getting  a  foothold.     If  the   limb  is  cut 
close  to  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  parallel 
with  it,  the  tree  will  be  able  to  heal  wounds 
of  considerable  size  before  decay  sets  in.    The 
pruning  should  be  done  in  such  a  manner  that 
no  portion  of  the  amputated  branch  is  left.     If 
a  limb  is  cut  an  inch  from  the  body  the  wound 
requires  much   longer  to  heal  than  it  would  if 
no  stub  were  left.     A  stub  several  inches  long 
seldom  heals   over.     It  has  no  life  of  its  own, 
and  so  must  depend  on  material  that  comes  from 

other  branches  to  heal  it ;  but  a  projecting  stub  is  out  of  the  line  of  move- 
ment of  the  sap — it  is  sidetracked.  Instead  of  healing  over  the  end  of 
the  stub,  a  roll  of  new  growth  is  thrown  up  around  its  base  where  the  cut 
should  have  been  made. 

In  a  little  over  sixteen  per   cent  of  the  orchards   examined    bad   stubs 
were  left,  varying  in  length  from  one  or  two  inches  to  one  foot 


'IG.  49. — Long  stubs  left 
when  pruning.  These 
cause  the  trunks  to  de- 
cay and  finally  result  in 
broken  trees. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      281 


There  are  two  reasons  for  leaving  these  long  stubs.  One,  I  fear  the 
more  common  one,  is  because  it  is  easier  to  do  so.  But  many  farmers 
leave  a  long  stub  when  a  large  limb  must  be  removed  because  they  think 
that  the  wound  will  be  too  large  to  heal,  and  by  leaving  the  long  stub 
they  hope  to  keep  the  rot  away  from  the  tree.  The  rapidity  with 
which  fungi  penetrate  the  wood  after  they  get  started  refutes  this 
practice.  Success 
must  come  from 
preventing  the  start 
of  decay,  -not  from 
giving  it  a  long  dis- 
tance to  travel  be- 
fore it  gets  into  the 
trunk.  In  one  forty- 
acre  orchard  the 
owner  left  stubs 
about  a  foot  long  to 
serve  as  ladders ! 
His  successor  has 
gone  through  the 
orchard  and  cut 
these  off  and  has 
done  what  was  pos- 
sible to  prevent 
further  decay. 

In  Fig.  49  is 
shown  a  tree  with 
long  stubs  that  will 
result  in  its  death. 
Fig-  54  gives  what 
will  be  the  next  step. 
The  outside  of  this 
stub  shows  the  seed-forming  bodies  (spore  fruits)  of  the  fungi ;  but  it  does 
not  look  very  bad,  while  the  inside  is  so  decayed  that  it  only  needed  a  good 
load  of  fruit  to  break  the  tree.  Fig.  53  is  another  stub  that  will  ultimately 
cause  the  death  of  the  tree.  The  tape-measure  shows  how  far  the  stick 
extends  into  the  decayed  hole.  The  decay,  of  course,  goes  much  farther. 
Fig.  50  shows  a  decayed  hole  that  was  caused  by  leaving  a  large  wouncl 


FIG.  50. — The   decayed  hole   caused   by   wood-destroying 
fungi.     (See  Figs.  51  and  52.} 


BULLETIN  226. 


FIG.  51.— The  same  tree  as  Fig.  50,  showing  the  extent  of  the  decay.  The  tree 
was  about  16  inches  in  diameter  and  had  only  about  two  inches  of  sound  wood 
on  the  outside,  a  mere  shell.  The  white  mould  is  the  mycelium  of  fungi. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      283 

unpainted.  The  hole  is  now  nearly  closed,  but  it  is  too  late,  as  will  be 
seen  by  Fig.  51,  which  shows  the  inside  of  the  same  tree.  There  is  only 
a  few  inches  of  undecayed  wood  on  the  outside  of  the  trunk.  The  white 
mould  (mycelium)  all  through  the  trunk  shows  how  badly  decayed  the 
tree  is.  The  tree  was  a  very  thrifty  one,  and  was  apparently  unaffected, 
but  the  rotted  trunk  was  no  longer  strong  enough  to  support  it  (Fig.  52). 
Paint  should  be  used  on  the  larger  wounds. — Only  a  very  few  orchards 
were  seen  where  paint  was  used.  Painting  the  wounds  should  become 


FIG.  52. — The  rotten  trunk  resulted  in  the  breaking  of  the  tree.     (See  Figs.  50-5*-) 

an  accepted  practice.  The  paint  does  not  help  to  heal  the  wounds,  nor 
does  it  hinder  healing,  as  some  have  supposed.  It  is  to  prevent  the  wood- 
rot  fungi  from  getting  a  foothold.  It  acts  as  a  partial  seal  till  the  tree 
can  protect  the  wound  in  its  own  way — by  healing  over  the  place.  It  has 
a  similar  effect  as  it  has  on  farm  machinery.  It  protects  from  weather  and 
prevents  fungi  and  bacteria  from  causing  decay.  The  cost  of  painting  all 
the  wounds  above  two  inches  in  diameter  is  not  great.  If  this  is  done, 
and  if  the  larger  ones  are  repainted  every  year,  the  increased  longevity  of 
the  tree  will  amply  repay  the  cost.  One  good  apple-tree  will  pay  for 


284 


BULLETIN  226. 


painting  many  wounds.  Lead  paint  is  the  most  satisfactory  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  any  durable  paint  is  probably  good. 

Thinning  the  tops. — If  the  tops  are  so  dense  that  air  can  not  circulate 
through  them  it  is  almost  impossible  to  spray  well.  The  moisture 
remains  long  after  every  rain  or  dew,  and  so  favors  all  kinds  of  fungous 
growths.  The  fruit  will  be  of  poor  quality  and  poorly  colored.  Dense 
tops  favor  the  development  of  insects  and  diseases,  but  not  of  apples. 

The  frontispiece  shows  a 
well-pruned  tree.  Notice 
that  the  light  shines  through 
the  top  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  there  is  a  large  crop  of 
fruit  and  excellent  foliage. 
Contrast  this  with  Fig.  59. 
But  even  this  latter  orchard 
is  better  pruned  than  the 
average. 

Pruning  should  vary  with 
the  thrift  of  the  trees. — If  an 
Orchard  is  so  treated  that  the 
leaves    are    small    and    the 
growth     very     little,     many 
more    limbs    should    be    left 
than    in    a    thrifty    orchard. 
Poor   color   of   the    fruit    in 
tilled  orchards  could  be  im- 
proved   to    some    extent    if 
these     trees     were     pruned 
more   openly.      The  tree   in 
FIG.  53.— The  long  stub  continued.    The  tape       the  frontiSpiece  shows  ideal 
shows   hoiv   far   the   stick   extends   into    the 
rotten  trunk.  conditions.        The     air     and 

light  can  filter  through  the 

top  and  reach  every  leaf  and  every  apple.  If  this  tree  were  not  tilled  or 
fertilized  it  could  have  about  double  the  number  of  limbs  without  making 
the  tops  any  denser.  A  neglected  tree  would  be  a  mere  skeleton  if  pruned 
as  this  thrifty  tree  is  pruned. 

When  is  the  best  time  to  prune? — As  a  result  "of  a  series  of  experiments 
in  pruning  at  various  times  in  the  year  Professor  Bailey  concludes  as 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      285 


follows :  "  The  conclusion, — and  my  general  opinion, — in  respect  to  the 
season  of  pruning,  so  far  as  the  healing  of  wounds  is  concerned,  is  this : 
The  ideal  time  is  in.  spring, 
before  growth  begins  (late 
February,  March  and  early 
April  in  New  York;)  but 
more  depends  on  the  position 
of  the  wound  in  the  tree  and 


FIG.  55. — The  crotch  which 
will  probably  cause  the 
tree  to  split.  One  of  the 
leaders  should  be  removed. 


FIG.  54.— The  long  stub  resulted  in  the  broken 
tree. 

the  length  of  the  stub  than  on  the  time  of 
year."*  The  best  time  to  prune  will  gener- 
ally be  the  time  when  labor  is  least  expen- 
sive. 

How  to  treat  crotches. — The  best  way  to 
treat  a  crotch  is  never  to  allow  one  to  form ; 
but  when  one  secures  an  orchard  in  which 
they  are  already  formed  he  must  do  what 
is  possible  to  correct  the  weakness. 

In  Fig.  55  is  shown  a  young  tree  with  a 
bad  crotch  that  will  be  quite  certain  to  ruin  it. 
One  of  the  forks  should  be  cut  off.  Fig.  56 
shows  the  trunk  of  an  old  tree  similarly 
pruned.  Fig.  57,  from  the  same  orchard  as 


Pruning-Book,  fourth  edition,  1902. 


286 


BULLETIN  226. 


FIG.  56. — The  result  of  bad  crotches.  The  tree 
can  be  saved  for  further  usefulness  by  bolting 
the  ti<uo  halves  together. 


Fig".  56,  shows  two  of  the 
split  trees  and  several  vacant 
spaces  where  broken  trees 
have  been  removed. 
Nearly  one-fourth  of  the 
trees  in  this  seven-acre 
orchard  are  already  broken 
down,  and  as  many  more 
are  split.  There  are  only 
a  few  orchards  in  the  hun- 
dreds examined  in  which 
the  trees  were  thus  sys- 
tematically pruned  to  form 
crotches,  but  in  a  large 
number  of  orchards  a  few 
trees  have  them. 

The  split  trees  and  those 
that  are  in  danger  of  split- 
ting can  yet  be  saved  by 
the  use  of  bolts.  A  band 
put  around  a  tree  will 
girdle  it,  but  a  bolt  put 
through  it  does  no  appre- 


FIG.  57. — The  -final  result  of  bad  crotches. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      287 


ciable  damage.     If  two  bolts  that  hook   into  a  connecting  chain  of 

suitable  length  are  used,  the  work  can  be  much  more  easily  done.     The 

two  holes  are   then  not  necessarily   in  the  same   line.     The  chain  also 

allows  for  variation 

in  length.     One  bolt 

is  put  through  one 

branch,  the  other  is 

put  nearly  through 

the    other    branch, 

and    the    chain     is 

hooked    on    at    the 

proper  length.    The 

bolts     are     then 

drawn  up.      Or  bolts 

with  hooks  or  ringfs 

O 

on  one  end  may  be 
used  and  strong 
wire  used  to  fasten 
them  together. 

Number  of  scaf- 
fold limbs. — In  Fig. 
58  is  shown  a  tree 
with  too  many  scaf- 
fold, or  frame  work, 
limbs.  The  time  to 
avoid  this  is  when 
the  tree  is  young. 
Some  of  the  smaller 
limbs  might  still  be 
removed  with  safety  if  the  wounds  are  kept  well  painted. 


FIG.  58. — Too  many  scaffold  limbs.    Half  of  these  should 
have  been  pruned  out  when  the  tree  was  young. 


288 


BULLETIN  226. 


The  usual  method  of  sorting  in  Orleans  county — directly  from  the  table. 


Picking  from  the  table — a  slower  but  more  careful  method  of  sorting. 


CHAPTER  V. 
SPRAYING. 

The  extent  of  the  practice. — The  fact  that  so  many  growers  evaporate 
their  entire  crop  gives  rise  to  a  general  laxity  in  spraying.  A  little  over 
41  per  cent  of  the  trees  set  before  1880  were  sprayed  in  1903.  One-third 
are  seldom  or  never  sprayed. 

In  1902  most  buyers  of  apples  for  evaporating  paid  the  same  price 
regardless  of  the  scab  fungus.  This  fungus  does  not  seriously  damage 
apples  for  evaporating  unless  it  is  so  bad  that  it  stunts  or  distorts  the 
apple  or  makes  it  crack.  (See  Fig.  81.)  In  1902  it  was  very  bad  in  many 
orchards.  The  clean  apples  were  generally  considered  to  be  worth  more, 
but  were  bought  at  the  same  price,  as  one  man  said,  "  in  order  to  keep 
peace  in  the  neighborhood."  This  puts  a  premium  on  neglect  and  prob- 
ably accounts  for  the  large  number  who  do  not  believe  in  spraying  and 
for  the  considerable  number  of  those  who  do  spray  but  do  not  use  the 
Bordeaux  mixture. 

Effects  of  spraying  on  the  yield  and  price. — The  damage  from  insects 
and  the  apple-scab  in  1903  was  much  less  than  usual.  But  even  in  this 
year  of  few  insects  and  little  fungus,  when  most  people  "  saw  nothing 
to  spray  for,"  spraying  paid.  The  average  yield  of  the  sprayed  orchards 
was  27  bushels  more  than  that  of  the  unsprayed.  (See  table  19).  This 
was  probably  due  chiefly  to  the  prevention  of  the  large  loss  caused  by 
the  bud-moth  and  to  the  loss  from  the  codlin-moth.  The  bud-moth 
did  considerable  damage  in  many  orchards,  but  its  work  was  not  com- 
monly seen,  or  if  seen,  was  attributed  to  a  bad  wind  that  made  many 
leaves  turn  brown  at  about  the  time  when  the  bud-moth  caused  the  young 
shoots  to  die.  The  codlin-moth  causes  many  apples  to  fall  early  in  the 
season.  A  part  of  the  difference  may  be  due  to  other  factors  as  the  sprayed 
orchards  averaged  a  little  better  in  other  treatment. 

TABLE  19. 
Yield  in  bushels  in  1903  of  sprayed  and  unsprayed  orchards.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


No.  of 
orchards. 

No.  of 
acres. 

Average  yield 
per  acre. 

Soraved 

66 

626  '/ 

280 

Unsprayed  

107 

67^ 

2M 

290  BULLETIN  226. 

TABLE  20. 
Price  per  barrel  of  sprayed  and  unsprayed  apples  in  1903. 


No.  of  barrels. 

Average  price 
per  barrel. 

Sprayed  ...           .... 

8  43O 

$2  02 

Unsprayed  

o,  4ju 

6  ^6^ 

I    80 

TABLE  21. 
Average  price  per  bushel  of  sprayed  and  unsprayed  apples  in  1903. 


No.  of  bushels. 

Average  price 
per  bushel. 

Sprayed 

1  1  0   A  A  ^ 

$o  31  8 

Sprayed,  dried  by  grower  

6^,  I4S 

Unsprayed 

06   ^4^ 

27   7 

Unsprayed,  dried  by  grower 

64   7Q  ^ 

The  average  price  per  barrel  of  the  sprayed  apples  was  $2.02 ;  of  the 
unsprayed,  $1.80.  From  the  sprayed  orchards  15  per  cent  of  the  crop 
was  barreled;  from  the  unsprayed,  12  per  cent.  Without  considering  the 
apples  that  were  evaporated  by  the  grower,  the  average  price  of  sprayed 
apples  was  31.8  cents  per  .bushel;  of  unsprayed,  27.7  cents. 

If  we  count  the  apples  that  were  evaporated  by  the  growers  as  worth 
20.7  cents,  the  average  price  paid  for  apples  by  the  evaporators,  then  the 
income  per  acre  from  sprayed  orchards  averaged  $77.84;  from  the 
unsprayed,  $63.  (See  tables  20  and  21.) 

Most  of  the  sprayed  orchards  were  sprayed  but  once.  Apples  from 
many  of  these  brought  no  higher  prices  than  unsprayed  ones,  but  some 
of  those  that  were  well  sprayed  gave  so  much  better  yields  and  secured 
so  much  higher  prices  that  they  were  able  to  raise  the  average  as  shown 
above. 

The  kinds  of  sprays  used. — Nearly  one-fifth  of  the  trees  that  were 
sprayed  received  applications  of  arsenical  poison  sprays  only.  The 
smaller  orchards  were  quite  commonly  so  treated.  This  one-fifth  of  the 
area  included  one-third  of  the  number  of  sprayed  orchards.  In  21  orchards 
Paris  green  and  water  were  used  without  any  other  materials.  (See  table 
22.)  In  view  of  this  and  of  the  exceptionally  favorable  year  the  showing 
made  by  such  spraying  as  was  done  is  satisfactory. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      291 


Arsenic  is  coming  to  be  quite  commonly  used  instead  of  Paris  green, 
particularly  in  the  larger  orchards.  It  stays  in  suspension  better  than 
Paris  green  and  is  somewhat  cheaper.  Arsenic  was  used  in  58  per  cent 
of  the  area  and  in  36  per  cent  of  the  number  of  sprayed  orchards. 

TABLE  22. 
Spraying  in  1903.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


WAIAVORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  Coi 

NTY. 

ENTIRK  COUNTY. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

tent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

Sprayed  

144 

126 
64 

741 

4«7X 

257^ 

50 

33 
18 

37 

35 

55 

698^ 

: 

45 

181 

161 
119 

1439^ 

893^ 
1140 

41 

26 
33 

Sometimes     sprayed  — 
not  in  1903  

Seldom  or  never  spray'd 

not  in  1903  126 

487  1A 

77                 7C 

406^ 

2O 

161 

893^ 

26 

Seldom  or  never  spray'd 

64 

T"^  /  /T 

257^ 

O  O                »  7  O 

18        55 

SS2/2 

45 

119 

1140 

33 

Trees  set  since  1879. 

Sprayed  

18 

/in 

83 

1121A 

42 

c« 

3 
rn 

80 

1A1 

19 

RT 

21 

so 

163 

MIL 

26 

74 

Unsprayed  

•*•  L  "  /  2             9j-*~'                     *--y                v/Tv-'                 .    ""  —                     +J^r                -f*j<*j/~                 f  -r 

Poison  used. 

Arsenic 

2Z. 

1  7O             *  T 

JQ 

A&y, 

69 

44 

629  l/2 

?8 

Paris  green  

s 

a.  /»_; 
2/1  T 

t  l 

en 

rn 

^4OtJ/2 

snn'X 

v^vy 
^T 

HT" 

77 

AZO1A 

D*-* 

42 

Bordeaux  mixture  used. 

Poison  only  

33 

122 

3O 

8 

74 

II 

41 

196 

18 

Poison  and  Bordeaux.  . 

50 

289 

70 

30 

622 

89 

80 

911 

82 

Six  orchards  were  sprayed  with  lime,  salt  and  sulfur  for  the  San 
Jose  scale.  One  of  these  did  not  have  any  of  the  scale  within  about 
ten  miles,  but  the  owner  was  afraid  it  might  come.  A  few  young  orchards 
were  sprayed  with  kerosene  emulsion  for  aphids. 

Many  of  the  owners  of  these  small  orchards  have  used  Bordeaux  mix- 
ture at  some  time  or  other,  and  because  one  careless  application  did  not 
keep  the  apples  entirely  free  from  fungus  have  concluded  that  the  copper 
sulfate  was  of  no  value.  Some,  even  cite  the  effects  of  spraying  with 
Paris  green  and  lime  as  evidence  that  spraying  does  not  affect  the  fungus. 
The  failure  of  Paris  green  to  kill  the  aphids,  which  were  quite  bad  in 
1903,  is  also  cited  to  show  the  futility  of  spraying.  Of  course  those 
who  conduct  apple-growing  on  a  good  business  basis  are  not  among 
•  these.* 


*There  are  three  general  classes  of  sprays :  I.  Poisons.  2.  Sprays  that  kill  insects 
by  contact.  3.  Fungicides. 

The  insects  that  chew  are  tjie  only  orchard  enemies  that  we  can  expect  to  kill 
with  Paris  green,  arsenic  or  other  poisons  of  this  nature.  The  lice,  San  Jose  scale 


292  BULLETIN  226. 

When  is  the  best  time  to  spray? — The  number  of  sprayings  and  the 
time  to  give  them  must  be  determined  by  the  season  and  the  objects  for 
which  a  man  is  spraying.  But  many  of  the  enemies,  like  the  apple-scab, 
must  be  treated  before  they  appear.  The  time  of  attack  by  this  fungus 
varies  to  some  extent  in  different  years.  (See  page  335  for  a  discussion 
of  the  fungus.)  In  the  564  orchards  examined  in  Orleans  county  in 
1904  it  was  found  that  those  apples  that  were  not  sprayed  immediately 
after  blossoming  were  invariably  scabby,  regardless  of  the  earlier  and 
later  sprayings.  To  keep  the  fruit  in  the  best  condition  more  sprayings 
were  needed,  but  this  was  by  far  the  most  important  application.  If  there 
is  much  rain  during  the  blossoming  period  and  for  two  to  three  weeks 
following  more  sprayings  will,  of  course,  be  necessary  than  in  a  dry  season. 
No  hard  and  fast  rules  can  be  given,  but  unless  some  special  enemy 
threatens  the  crop  the  best  times  will  be  about  as  follows: 

If  three  sprayings  are  given,  one  just  before  blossoming,  one  immedi- 
ately after  blossoming,  and  one  from  ten  to  fourteen  days  later,  will  gen- 
erally give  the  best  results.  If  two  are  given,  omit  the  first  or  third. 
The  second  and  third  are  the  important  ones  for  the  codlin-moth.  If 
only  one  spraying  is  given  it  will  usually  do  the  most  good  if  applied 
immediately  after  blossoming.  For  the  bud-moth  and  case-bearer  a 
spraying  is  needed  just  as  the  leaf  buds  begin  to  open. 

Do  not  expect  too  much  from  one  spraying.  If  you  give  three  thorough 
applications  you  will,  under  ordinary  conditions,  have  a  right  to  expect 
clean  fruit. 

Some  years,  as  in  1903,  good  fruit  is  grown  without  spraying ;  but  these 
years  can  not  be  foretold.  If  we  wait  till  the  fungus  shows,  it  is  too  late 
to  spray.  The  most  successful  men  spray  every  year.  They  consider 
spraying  as  insurance.  They  spray  even  if  there  is  no  crop,  for  they 

and  other  insects  that  suck  their  food,  are  not  hurt  by  poisons  for  the  very  simple 
reason  that  they  can  not  eat  poison.  We  would  not  expect  to  kill  a  mosquito  by 
putting  poison  on  the  hand  and  letting  him  suck  the  blood  from  under  it— his  food, 
the  blood,  is  not  poisoned.  These  insects  feed  in  a  similar  manner.  They  suck  the 
juices  from  the  plant  and  do  not  take  any  material  from  the  surface.  They  must 
be  killed  by  kerosene;  whale  oil  soap;  lime,  salt  and  sulfur,  or  by  some  other 
spray  that  kills  by  contact.  Only  those  which  are  hit  by  the  spray  are  killed. 

The  various  fungi  are  plants.  We  might  call  them  weeds  that  have  chosen-  to 
grow  on  the  apple  rather  than  on  the  ground.  They  can  not  eat  Paris  green  nor  are 
they  killed  by  kerosene  and  such  sprays.  For  them  some  fungicide,  as  Bordeaux 
mixture,  must  be  used. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      293 

consider  that  good,  clean  foliage  is  necessary  in  order  to  form  the  next 
year's  fruit-buds  and  in  order  to  store  up  food  for  the  next  year's  crop. 

W inter  treatment  for  apple-scab. — Quite  a  number  of  farmers  are  con- 
sidering the  advisability  of  spraying  for  the  scab  before  the  buds  open. 
This  treatment  will  not  take  the  place  of  later  applications.  If  one  gives 
it  he  should  do  so  with  the  understanding  that  it  is  in  addition  to  the  later 
sprayings,  and  not  a  substitute  for  them. 

"  When  these  are  made  the  winter  treatment  does  not  bring  sufficient 
additional  benefit  to  justify  the  additional  expense  of  making  it  against 
the  scab  alone,  but  it  may  pay  when  directed  also  against  the  canker 
disease  and  combined  with  some  application  which  must  be  made  against 
insects  such  as  case-bearers  or  bud-moth. 

"  It  is  known  that  the  scab  lives  during  the  winter  on  the  fallen  leaves 
and  in.  the  spring  produces  spores  by  means  of  which  it  spreads  to  the 
new  foliage.  Probably  it  may  exist  during  winter  to  some  extent  on  the 
bark  of  young  twigs  also.  Granting  that  this  is  the  case  and  that  a  large 
part  of  the  fungus  on  the  tree  is  killed  by  winter  treatment,  which  is 
improbable,  it  is  evident  that  when  the  new  foliage  appears  it  must  be 
covered  with  some  fungicide  to  protect  it  from  the  spores  produced  on 
the  fallen  leaves.  *  *  *"  * 

Method  of  applying  the  spray. — In  order  to  do  effective  spraying  there 
must  be  plenty  of  power  back  of  the  pump.  Good  work  is  sometimes 
done  with  hand  pumps;  but  the  tops  of  large  trees  are  not  often  well 
sprayed,  nor  is  the  work  usually  as  well  done  with  these  machines  as 
when  power  sprayers  are  used.  The  power  sprayer  is  rapidly  displacing 
the  hand  pump. 

Many  orchardists  go  through  the  orchard  twice  for  each  spraying — 
always  spraying  with  the  wind.  The  first  time  through  may  be  done  at 
the  most  convenient  opportunity.  For  the  second  wait  till  the  wind  has 
reversed.  Three  sprayings  therefore  require  six  trips  through  the 
orchard.  This  method  secures  thorough  spraying  for  each  side  of  the  tree. 

Russcting  of  the  fruit. — A  sound  and  perfect  fruit  sometimes  shows 
areas  where  the  skin  is  reddish  brown  and  rough.  This  is  commonly 
attributed  to  too  strong  a  spray.  It  is  frequently  caused  in  that  way, 
but  in  1903  and  1904  apples  in  many  unsprayed  orchards  were  russeted. 
It  is  caused  by  any  irritation  of  the  skin  of  the  fruit.  This  is  caused  by 
too  strong  a  spray,  by  late  frosts  that  hurt  the  skin  of  the  young  apple, 


*Bulletin  170,  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Geneva,  N.  Y. 


294  BULLETIN  226. 

or  by  anything  else  that  irritates  the  skin.  To  prevent  injury  from  the 
Bordeaux  mixture  plenty  of  lime  must  be  used.  Four  pounds  of  blue 
vitriol  to  fifty  gallons  of  water  is  sufficient  for  the  later  sprayings.  This 
lessens  the  danger  of  russeting  and  seems  to  be  effective  in  preventing 
the  scab  fungus.  Six  pounds  to  fifty  gallons  of  water  are  ordinarily  used 
for  the  first  spraying. 

Damage  to  foliage  from  spraying. — The  foliage  is  sometimes  burnt  by^ 
too  strong  a  spray.  This  is  particularly  likely  to  occur  in  rainy  weather. 
However,  most  of  the  spots  on  the  leaves  that  are  attributed  to  the  spray 
are  not  due  to  the  spray,  but  to  fungi.  (See  page  340.) 

Professor  G.  W.  Cavanaugh  gives  the  following  suggestions  about 
spraying  in  rainy  weather: 

"  In  the  preparation  of  Bordeaux  mixture,  which  is  made  from  a  solu- 
tion' of  blue  vitriol  and  lime,  there  is  a  definite  chemical  union  brought 
about  between  the  copper  of  the  vitriol  and  the  lime.  In  order  that  this 
union  may  occur,  the  lime  must  be  in  a  water-slaked  condition,  chemically 
known  as  calcium  hydroxide.  Should  the  lime  be  air-slaked,  i.  e.  in  the 
form  of  carbonate  of  lime,  this  chemical  union  with  the  copper  does  not 
take  place.  The  action  of  the  carbonic  acid  of  the  air  on  water-slaked 
lime  is  to  change  the  lime  to  the  air-slaked  form. 

:( The  chemical  union  between  the  lime  and  the  copper  in  the  Bordeaux 
mixture  is  not  a  very  stable  one.  In  fact,  it  is  so  weak  that  the  carbonic 
acid  of  the  air  can,  under  certain  conditions,  break  up  the  union  and 
change  even  that  lime  which  was  combined  with  the  copper  into  air- 
slaked  lime.  This,  of  necessity,  frees  the  copper  and  puts  it  in  a  condi- 
tion similar  to  that  where  an  insufficient  amount  of  lime  is  used  in  the 
orignal  mixture.  This  action  of  the  carbonic  acid  of  the  air  is  facilitated 
if  the  mixture  remains  moist  for  a  considerable  time  on  the  foliage.  The 
result  of  this  is  a  burning  of  the  leaves  by  the  free  copper  sulfate.  When 
the  mixture  dries  on  the  trees  this  action  of  the  gas  is  so  much  retarded 
that  no  injurious  results  have  ever  been  noticed.  It  therefore  seems  a 
•wise  precaution,  during  a  wet  season  at  least,  to  use  more  lime  than  the 
formula  ordinarily  calls  for." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

RENOVATING  AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  IN  WESTERN  NEW  YORK. 
BY  CHRISTIAN  BUES. 

With  the  increase  of  our  knowledge  of  the  "  how  "  of  apple-production 
comes  naturally  a  greater  interest  in  the  apple  business.  Out  of  a  few 
apple-trees  around  the  house  has  grown  the  commercial  orchard.  The 
manager  of  a  large  orchard  enters  the  open  market.  He  learns  the  value 
of  business  methods.  He  looks  for  opportunities  in  the  business  of  apple- 
production.  To  plant  young  trees  and  nurse  them  into  bearing  age  is  a 
long-term  investment.  It  should  be  profitable  ultimately.  But  how  shall 
he  find  an  outlet  for  his  energies  while  his  trees  are  growing;  how 
shall  he  improve  his  trade;  in  short,  where  is  the  immediate  opportunity 
for  business? 

There  are  thousands  of  acres  of  apple  orchards  of  bearing  age  in 
Wrestern  New  York  which  are  not  giving  the  revenue  that  they  ought  to 
give.  Many  of  these  can  be  bought  at  a  reasonable  price.  If  the  trees 
are  in  a  fairly  good  state  of  health  the  renovation  of  such  orchards  may 
be  profitable.  We  have  heard  a  great  deal  during  the  last  few  years  about 
this  feature  of  fruit-raising.  What  are  the  actual  facts?  A  concrete 
example  will  illustrate  better  than  any  amount  of  theory. 

In  1896  Mr.  George  Pettit  bought  a  "  run  down  "  farm  at  Kenyon- 
ville,  Orleans  county,  N.  Y.  The  farm  was  neglected.  Therefore  the 
price  paid  was  not  high.  Fifty-four  acres  were  bought  for  $2,200.  On 
the  farm  was  an  apple  orchard  of  eleven  acres,  two  acres  of  which  had 
been  drowned  out,  literally  killed  by  standing  water,  when  an  outlet  could 
be  found  not  more  than  fifty  yards  away  into  the  steep  gorge  of  Oak 
Orchard  creek.  This  left  nine  acres  of  orchard  with  which  to  work. 
The  trees  had  been  planted  in  the  spring  of  1864,  i.  e.  they  were  thirty-two 
years  old  and  should  have  been  just  entering  into  their  prime  of 
production. 

The  soil  on  which  this  orchard  stands  is  Miami  silt  loam.  (See  page 
317.)  On  the  remaining  nine  acres  the  drainage  was  not  perfect. 
Because  of  lack  of  care  the  trees  were  older  than  their  actual  age  would 
indicate.  Pruning  and  feeding  had  been  sadly  neglected,  and  canker  was 
rapidly  unfitting  many  limbs  for  the  bearing  of  a  crop.  Mr.  Pettit  tells 
me  that  it  was  in  about  as  bad  a  state  as  regards  care  as  it  could 
possibly  be. 

295 


296  BULLETIN  226. 

The  problem  of  renovation  was  undertaken  with  vigor.  The  water  was 
drained  off,  the  land  was  plowed,  and  thus  the  soil  brought  into  such  a 
condition  that  the  plant-food  would  be  available.  The  trees  were  freed 
of  dead  wood,  the  worst  canker-diseased  limbs  removed,  and  the  whole 
was  disinfected  by  the  liberal  use  of  Bordeaux  mixture  and  arsenic. 
Plant-food  was  supplied  to  produce  the  most  essential  crop — new  wood. 
The  following  tabulates  the  cultural  method: 

1896.  Orchard  was  in  sod ;  the  grass  was  mowed. 

1897.  Orchard  was  plowed  and  beans  were  grown. 

1898.  Orchard  was  manured  and  beans  grown  again,  followed  by  crim- 

son clover. 

1899.  Orchard  was  manured  and  crimson  clover  plowed  under. 
1900-1904.     Orchard   has  been  manured   every  year  and  buckwheat  is 

grown,  to  be  rolled  down  toward  ripening  time  of  the  fruit. 

During  the  last  three  years  every  tree  in  the  orchard  received  each  year 
one-quarter  of  a  load  of  manure,  to  which  was  added  in  1904  for  each 
tree  12  pounds  of  a  good  commercial  fertilizer  containing  8  per  cent 
potash  and  10  per  cent  phosphoric  acid. 

Spraying  has  always  been  faithfully  done,  crop  or  no  crop  ;  for  Mr.  Pettit 
knows  that  he  must  have  a  healthy  vigorous  tree  before  he  can  obtain  a 
profitable  crop.  Here  is  the  spraying  program  of  the  season  of  1904: 

First  spray:       When  blossom  buds  began  to  swell. 

Second  spray :  As  soon  as  the  blossoms  dropped. 

Third  spray :     About  two  weeks  after  second  spray. 

Fourth  spray :   A  partial  spray  July  25.     This  had  no  apparent  effect. 

The  spray  used  was  Bordeaux  mixture  and  Paris  green,  slightly 
decreasing  the  amount  of  blue  vitriol  with  each  successive  spraying. 

This  orchard  may  well  be  called  a  "  rejuvenated  "  orchard,  for  hardly 
any  of  the  old  tree-tops  exist  now.  The  Kings,  Greenings  and  Russets 
have  grown  entirely  new  tops  in  the  course  of  the  eight  years  during 
which  Mr.  Pettit  has  handled  the  trees,  and  the  Baldwins  are  doing-so, 
although  at  a  slower  rate.  I  remember  one  particular  Spitzenburg  tree 
which  tells  the  story  of  many  hardships.  By  continued  spraying  and 
generous  feeding  the  many  old  cankers  are  nearly  overgrown  by  new 
wood,  and  a  new  top  has  been  produced  which  looks  vigorous  and 
healthy  and  ready  to  do  business  for  many  years  to  come. 

Now  if  we  want  to  renovate  orchards,  for  business,  how  does  the 
account  of  this  orchard  balance?  Is  it  worth  while  to  borrow  money  in 
order  to  invest  it  in  orchard  renovation  ?  Mr.  Pettit  kindly  placed  at  my 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  \YAYXE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      297 

disposal  an  itemized  account  for  the  season  of  1904.  The  price  charged 
for  team  and  machinery  is  large  enough  to  allow  for  "  wear  and  tear." 
To  the  debit  should  be  added  interest  on  capital  invested.  Every  hour 
of  work  done  in  the  s  orchard  by  the  proprietor  or  by  his  men  has  been 
charged  to  it. 

Apple  orchard.  Apple  orchard. 

1904.  Debit.  1904.  Credit. 

June          To  8     days'     hauling     and  By   1,765  barrels  of  apples,  No.   i,  at 

spreading      manure,      at  $1.50    $2,647   5° 

$i-5°    $12  °°-      1'y     75     barrels    of    apples,     No.     2, 

To  3  days'  teams  for  haul-  at  $i    75  oo 

ing,    at   $2 6  oo       — 

To    80    loads    of    manure, 

at  $1.50    120  oo 

To   i^/z      tons      commercial 

fertilizer,   at  $20 30  oo 

To  2  days'  pruning,  at  $2 .  4  oo 

To  3   days'  hauling  brush.  5   oo 

To  6  days'  work,  spraying, 

3   men  and  team,   at  $7.  42  oo 

To    i   day  dragging  with  3 

horses     4  oo 

To   i   day   dragging- with   2 

horses     3   oo 

To  2  days'  spreading  fer- 
tilizers    400 

To    i   day  dragging  with   3 

horses    4  oo 

To    i    day    hoeing    around 

trees    '.  .  .  .  i    50 

To  i   day  with  team 3  oo 

To     i     day     cleaning     otit 

ditches    i    50 

To     iy2    days'    cultivating, 

at  $4 6  oo 

June  20.  To    3%    days'    spraying,    at 

$7     24  50 

To  i   day  getting  material.  3  oo 

To  30  Ibs.   Paris  green,  at 

i8c    5  40 

To  400  Ibs.  blue  vitriol,  at 

5%c    23  oo 

To    4    barrels    of    lime,    at 

$1-25     5  oo 

To      i      pair     of     pruning 

shears   2  oo 

July      6.  To    i   day  of  dragging....  3  oo 
To    yz    day    sowing    buck- 
wheat      i   oo 

25.  To    spraying    3    hours,    at 

7oc    2   10 

To    spraying   mixture 70 

To     7     bushels    buckwheat 

seed,  at  75C 5   25 

Aug.   13.  To  4  hours'  breaking  buck- 
wheat      i   60 

1 6.  To    dragging    down    buck- 

wheat,  i   horse 2  oo 

17.  To    dragging    down    buck- 

wheat,  i   horse 2  oo 

1 8.  To   propping  trees,    2   men 

and  team   3  oo 

27.  To    propping  trees,   2   men 

21/£  days * 10  oo 

To  1,840  empty  barrels,  at 

36c    662  40 

To  harvesting  1,840  bar- 
rels of  fruit  and  hauling 
to  the  railroad,  at  25C.  ..  460  oo 

Balance    1,260  55 


$2,722  50 


$2,722  50 


Thus  our  account  for  this  year  gives  a  net  profit  above  expenses  of 
$1,260.55.     To  do  justice  to  the  orchard  it  is  fair  to  state  that  at  the  date 


298  BULLETIN  226. 

when  the  figures  were  received  there  remained  about  1,300  bushels  of 
apples  in  the  orchard  which  might  have  been  sold  as  evaporating  stock 
had  not  the  evaporators  been  rilled  to  their  utmost  capacity. 

How  do  the  crops  taken  from  the  orchard  compare  with  the  original 
investment?  It  is  not  possible  to  give  these  figures  net,  as  an  itemized 
expense  account  is  not  available.  The  gross  returns  from  the  orchard  are : 

1896 $250  oo 

1897 12  oo 

1898 800  oo 

1899 200  oo 

I9°° •  •  1,200   00 

I901 ;  :»• 300  oo 

i902 2,000  oo 

I9°3 1,400  oo 

* 2,722  50 


It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a  gradual  general  increase  in  the  amount 
of  the  crop.  Naturally  there  exists  a  corresponding  increase  in  the  cost 
of  production  and  marketing. 

In  a  considerable  percentage  of  New  York  orchards  the  renovating 
process  has  begun.  It  can  not  be  done  according  to  a  fixed  schedule. 
Conditions  in  one  orchard  are  not  often  the  same  as  in  another.  How- 
ever, the  experiences  of  other  men  and  close  observation  will  soon  lead 
one  in  the  right  direction.  Two  things  are  most  needed.  The  first  is 
the  consideration  of  the  orchard  as  a  business  proposition,  with  which 
we  enter  into  an  account  and  from  which  we  want  to  exact  a  fair  profit. 
We  may  have  to  wait  a  few  years  for  the  returns,  but  we  must  look  for 
ultimate  profits.  The  usual  experience  is  that  vigorously  renovated 
orchards  begin  to  give  fair  returns  in  about  three  years,  but  this  depends 
on  the  condition  of  the  trees  and  the  manner  of  treatment.  The  second 
important  factor  is:  the  man  who  takes  charge  of  the  orchard  should 
know  and  love  an  apple-tree.  He  should  be  able  to.  put  himself  into  its 
position  and  to  realize  the  various  influences  which  this  or  that  line  of 
treatment  would  have  upon  a  living  organism.  Only  then  can  he  under- 
stand such  things  as  why  a  soil  needs  draining  and  why  parasites 
should  be  kept  off.  It  is  not  so  much  any  particular  kind  of  soil  that 
produces  the  apple,  or  any  special  brand  of  fertilizer,  or  any  individual 
spraying  mixture.  The  essential  thing  is  the  crop  of  thought  raised  in 
the  well-cultivated  mind  of  a  nature-loving  man. 


CHAPTER   VII. 
NUMBER  OF  TREES  PER  ACRE  AND  DISTANCE  BETWEEN  TREES. 

The  trees  arc  planted  too  close  together. — One  of  the  greatest  enemies 
of  the  apple  orchard  in  Wayne  county,  as  in  most  other  apple-growing 
regions,  is  the  apple-tree.  When  the  greater  part  of  the  orchards  were 
planted,  about  forty  years  ago,  there  was  a  universal  tendency  to  plant 
too  closely.  On  43  per  cent  of  the  area  planted  before  1880  the  trees 
are  30  x  30  feet  or  less ;  82  per  cent  are  35  x  35  feet  or  less.  Only  18 
per  cent  are  over  35  x  35  feet ;  and  a  part  of  these  were  planted  more 
closely  but  have  been  thinned.  (See  table  23.) 

TABLE  23. 
Distance  between  trees. 


PLANTED  BEFORE  iS8o. 

PLANTED  SINCE  1879. 

DISTANCE  APART. 

Average 
no.  trees 
per  acre. 

No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 
cent. 

Average 
no.  trees 
per  acre. 

No. 

orchards. 

No.          Per 
acres.       cent 

Not  over  25x25  ft.  ... 

82 

55 

151 

V?. 

i 

70 

3 

4 

I 

26x26  to  30x30  

52 

198 

1165 

38 

51 

27 

18 

31x31  to  35x35  

38 

143 

H95 

3Q 

37 

24 

148^ 

22 

36x36  to  40x40  

27 

73 

534^ 

18 

27 

31 

328 

50 

41x41  to  50x50  

1C 

\  • 

6 

61 

9 

Planted 
before  1880. 

Planted 
since  1879. 

All  ages. 

.Average  number  of  trees  per  acre, 
Average  distance  apart 


43-6 
31-6 


33-2 
36.2 


41.8 
32.3 


A  comparison  with  the  recent  plantings  shows  that  many  growers  have 
learned  not  to  plant  so  closely.  Nearly  two-thirds  of  the  area  set  since 
1879  has  the  trees  35  x  35  feet  or  over,  the  average  distance  being  36.2 
feet  or  33.2  trees  per  acre,  as  compared  with  a  distance  of  31.6  feet  and 
43.6  trees  for  the  older  orchards.  Some  growers  have  not  yet  learned 
the  lesson,  and  need  to  have  their  attention  called  to  it.  Forty  by  forty 
feet  is  close  enough  for  nearly  all  varieties.  The  Duchess,  Wealthy  and 
a  few  other  varieties  might  perhaps  be  planted  a  little  closer.  Mature 
Baldwin  and  Greening  trees  should  be  at  least  40  x  40  feet  apart. 


299 


300  BULLETIN  226. 

About  one-fourth  of  the  orchards  in  Walworth  township  were  planted 
on  the  quincunx  system  with  the  rows  20  feet  apart  and  the  trees  40  feet 
apart  in  the  row.  This  makes  the  trees  in  squares  28.4  x  28.4  feet, 
cornerwise  of  the  field.  Some  nurserymen  recommended  this  system 
with  the  idea  of  removing  every  other  row,  so  as  to  leave  the  trees  40  x  40 
feet.  A  few  growers  did  this  before  much  damage  had  been  done  by 
crowding,  and  may  have  secured  enough  fruit  from  the  extra  trees  to 
pay  for  the  increased  labor  which  these  trees  necessitated. 

Outside  of  Walworth  this  system  was  much  less  used,  but  the  trees 
averaged  almost  the  same  distance  apart.  Rather  than  blame  the  nursery- 
men who  recommended  the  thinning  system,  as  some  have  done,  we 
should  give  them  credit  for  being  better  informed  than  most  persons  of 
that  time,  for  they  recognized  that  mature  trees  would  need  to  be  40  x  40 
feet.  Other  persons  planted  equally  close  without  having  any  idea  that  a 
part  would  need  to  be.  cut  out. 

This  system  may  be  all  right  if  carried  out,  but  it  is  certainly  not  to 
be  recommended  to  the  general  public.  Few  people  have  the  courage  to 
cut  down  good,  thrifty  trees.  If  they  do  thin  them  it  is  usually  not  done 
until  the  trees  have  been  greatly  damaged — all  the  lower  limbs  killed. 
It  will  be  better  for  most  persons  to  leave  out  half  the  trees  and  raise 
crops  in  the  orchard  for  a  few  more  years,  or  plant  some  short-lived  fruit 
like  peach-trees,  that  will  die  before  the  apple-trees  need  the  room. 

Effect  of  close  planting  on  yield  and  health. — The  more  trees  per  acre 
the  less  the  yield.  The  average  yield  for  four  years  of  orchards  where 
the  trees  are  not  over  30  x  30  feet  apart  is  186  bushels ;  for  those  over 
30  x  30  feet  but  not  over  35  x  35  feet,  222  bushels ;  for  those  over  35  x  35 
feet,  229  bushels.  (See  table  24.) 

The  question  is  still  more  important  than  these  figures  indicate.  In 
many  orchards  the  trees  are  being  ruined  because  they  are  so  close 
together.  In  Orleans  county  more  growers  have  removed  half  the  trees, 
but  few  in  Wayne  county  have  yet  done  so,  and  more  attention  needs 
to  be  given  to  the  question.  Farmers  usually  fail  to  notice  what  is  hap- 
pening until  the  trees  have  been  greatly  damaged.  The  decrease  in  yield 
does  not  call  attention  to  the  trouble  till  it  is  too  late.  When  the  tops 
begin  to  meet  so  as  to  shut  out  the  light  from  the  lower  limbs  it  is  time 
to  cut  out  half  the  trees.  (See  Fig.  59.)  If  this  is  not  done  the  lower 
limbs  first  bear  inferior  fruit,  then  no  fruit,  and  finally  die.  The  changes 
take  place  so  gradually  that  the  owner  usually  fails  to  realize  what  is 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      301 

TABLE  24. 
Distance  apart  and  yield  in  bushels.     Threes  set  before  1880. 


DISTANCE  APART. 

WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  COUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 
age 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 

yifld. 
1 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 
age 
yield. 

IQOO. 

Not  over  30x30  feet  .  .  . 

78 

285X 

282 

22 

305^ 

231 

IOO 

590^ 

256 

31x31  to  35x35  feet  

32 

140^ 

389 

18 

217^ 

264 

50 

358 

314 

36x36  to  40x40  feet  

18 

93 

332 

6 

80^ 

224 

24 

173^ 

282 

1901. 

Not  over  30x30  feet.  .  .  . 

83 

3ioX 

38 

23 

334^ 

30 

1  06 

644^ 

34 

31x31  to  35x35  feet  

4i 

206 

60 

21 

255# 

83 

62 

461 

75 

36x36  to  40x40  feet  .... 

33 

192 

92 

8 

100)4 

81 

41 

292^ 

88 

1903. 

Not  over  30x30  feet.  .  .  . 

154 

556# 

229 

44 

604^ 

212 

I98 

1160% 

220 

31x31  to  35x35  feet  

77 

380^ 

249 

34 

682^ 

212 

III 

1063 

226 

36x36  to-  40x40  feet  .... 

50 

338^ 

256 

ii 

"5# 

220 

61 

454  ' 

249 

1903. 

Not  over  30x30  feet.  .  .  . 

65 

274X 

252 

23 

342^ 

215 

88 

616% 

232 

31x31  to  35x35  feet  

29 

137 

309 

12 

112^ 

224 

5i 

249  y* 

271 

36x36  to  40x40  feet  .... 

27 

254K 

302 

5 

74^ 

28l 

32 

329 

296 

Four-year  average : 

Not  over  30  x  30  feet 186  bushels 

31  x  31  to  35  x  35  feet 222 

36  x  36  to  40  x  40  feet 229 

It  might  seem  that  the  closer  plantings  would  include  many  old  trees,  but  the 
change  in  the  distance  apart  has  been  made  largely  since  1880. 


happening  till  some  year  he  finds  that  instead  of  an  orchard  of  well- 
rounded  apple-trees  he  has  a  lot  of  forest  trees  with  a  bouquet  of  leaves 
at  the  top. 

In  the  end  the  bearing  surface  becomes  the  nearly  level  surface  on  the 
tops  of  the  trees.  This  is  a  very  small  surface  when  compared  with  a 
succession  of  well-rounded  tops.  (See  frontispiece.)  If  trees  are  30  x  30 
feet  and  are  left  till  they  interfere  so  as  to  kill  the  lower  limbs,  the  bearing 
surface  approaches  the  level  surface  on  the  top  of  the  trees.  Each  tree 
approaches  900  square  feet  of  exposure  to  sunlight,  or  bearing  surface ; 
or  two  trees  approach  1,800  square  feet.  This  is  what  was  done  in  the 
orchard  shown  in  Fig.  60.  The  owner  of  this  orchard  started  to  cut  out 
half  the  trees  about  ten  years  ago.  He  cut  down  one  tree,  but  it  seemed 
to  make  such  a  big  hole  that  he  decided  to  prune  them  instead.  The 


302 


BULLETIN  226. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OE  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      303 


figure  shows  the  result.  Suppose  half  of  the  trees  had  been  cut  out  at 
the  proper  time,  they  would  then  be  42.4  x  42.4  feet.  This  was  done 
by  Mr.  Albert  Woods  in  the  orchard  shown  in  Fig.  61.  These  trees 
average  about  32  feet  high  and  have  a  spread  of  about  40  feet.  The  area 
of  the  surface  of  a  well-rounded  tree  32  feet  high  and  having  a  spread 
of  40  feet  is  about  4,000  square  feet.  Trees  of  this  size  still  lack  2.4  feet 
of  meeting,  and  30 
per  cent  of  the  surface 
of  the  ground  is  ex- 
posed to  light — none 
too  much.  In  other 
words  they  are  a 
reasonable  distance 
apart,  but  the  one 
tree  has  at  least  twice 
as  much  bearing  sur- 
face as  the  two  trees 
in  the  former  orchard. 
This  calculation  as- 
sumes the  tree  to 
have  a  regular  form 
and  is,  of  course, 
hypothetical,  but  it 
clearly  indicates  that 
there  are  two  reasons 
why  trees  that  are 
planted  too  closely  do 
not  bear  as  much  as 
do>  those  that  have 
more  room :  ( i )  They 
are  not  as  healthy. 
(2)  They  do  not  have  as  much  bearing  surface. 

Trees  that  are  too  close  together  furnish  favorable  conditions  for  fungi 
and  insects ;  they  are  hard  to  spray ;  the  apples  are  more  difficult  to  pick 
and  are  of  poorer  color  and  quality.  Probably  the  most  serious  result  is 
an  indirect  effect  of  the  death  of  the  lower  limbs.  Trees  are  left  until  the 
large  lower  limbs  die  for  want  of  light.  These  are  then  removed  and 
the  wounds  are  too  large  to  heal.  Tn  time  they  cause  the  trunk  to 
decay.  (See  Fig.  62.) 


FIG.  60. — A  poor  system  of  pruning.  The  best  bearing 
wood  removed  and  the  trees  almost  ruined  rather  than 
cut  out  half  of  them.  (Compare  with  Fig.  61.) 


3°4 


BULLETIN  226. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      305 


Top-grafting  or  pruning  every  other  row. — Some  men  have  top-grafted 
half  of  the  trees  a  few  years  before  cutting  them  out.  Most  of  those 
who  have  tried  this  would  not  do  so  again.  It  is  some  expense  to  do 
the  grafting,  and  by  j:he  time  the  grafts  are  ready  to  bear  well  it  is  about 
time  to  cut  the  trees  down.  Some  have  cut  back  the  tops  of  the  trees 
to  be  removed,  leaving  the  center  part  to  bear  a  few  years  before  remov- 
ing the  tree.  This  seems  to  have  paid  in  some  cases,  but  has  not  always 
been  satisfactory.  Too  much  must  not  be  expected  of  any  such  devices, 
for  they  do  not  relieve  the 
condition  under  ground.  The 
roots  interfere  before  the  tops 
do.  When  the  tops  begin  to 
interfere  it  is  high  time  to 
remove  half  the  trees. 

Hozv  to  thin. — If  the  trees 
are  planted  in  squares  the  best 
way  to  thin  is  to  cut  out  every 
other  tree  in  each  row.  This 
is  done  by  cutting  out  every 
other  row  diagonally.  It 
leaves  the  trees  in  squares 
cornerwise  of  the  field.  (See 
Fig.  63.) 

It  is  interesting  to  note 
what  removing  half  the  trees 
would  mean.  Persons  some- 
times think  that  doing  so  in 
an  orchard  that  is  25  x  25 
feet  would  leave  the  remainder 
50  x  50  feet.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  they  would  be  in  squares 
of  35. 3- x  35.3  feet,  when  viewed  from  the  corners  of  the  field;  if  30  x  30 
feet,  and  half  removed,  the  remainder  would  stand  42.4  x  42.4  feet;  if 
33  x  33  feet,  and  half  removed,  they  would  be  46.7  x  46.7  feet.  None  of 
these  distances  is  too  great  for  large,  mature  trees.  If  35  x  35  feet,  and 
half  removed,  they  would  be  49.5  x  49.5  feet.  Large  Baldwin  trees  can 
make  good  use  of  this  much  room. 

One  of  the  problems  to  be  met  in  thinning  is  that,  if  every  other  tree  is 
removed  regularly,  there  will  be  some  places  where  the  tree  to  be  cut  out 


FIG.  62. — The  large  lower  branches  die  because 
the  trees  are  too  close.  The  limbs  are  then 
removed,  and  the  next  stage  is  a  decayed 
trunk.  Notice  the  holes  in  the  second  tree 
on  the  left. 


306  BULLETIN  226. 

is  better  than  the  one  to  be  left ;  or  it  may  occur  that  the  one  which  should 
be  left  is  missing.  Will  it  pay  to  leave  a  tree  that  would  otherwise  be 
removed  if  it  comes  next  to  a  vacant  place?  This  question  must  be 


c  <*          e  f          g  h  i  j  k 

S$-    -^-     ^     -i-    £ 

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D  — 

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m    Tre-es     Missinq 


FIG.  63. — Diagram  showing  half  the  trees  removed.     The  dotted  lines  show  that 
the  trees  remaining  are  in  squares  cornenvisc  of  the  field. 

answered  as  each  case  arises,  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  if  the  tree 
is  left  it  will  damage  one  side  of  three  other  trees. 

Before  cutting  out  the  trees  it  will  pay  to  make  a  map  of  the  orchard 
and  locate  the  vacant  spaces  and  poor  trees,  and  so  determine  which  way 
of  cutting  will  include  the  greatest  number  of  these.  In  Fig.  63  the  rows 


Ax  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  \\'AYXE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      307 

bb,  dd,  ff,  etc.,  or  the  rows  cc,  cc,  gg,  etc.,  may  be  removed.  Sometimes 
it  will  make  a  difference  of  several  trees  which  is  done.  Suppose  that 
the  trees  marked  m  are  poor  trees  or  missing;  then  by  removing  rows 
bb,  dd,  etc.,  five  of  these  will  be  included.  If  the  other  set  of  rows  are 
removed  only  two  will  be  included,  a  gain  of  three  trees  by  the  former 
method — enough  to  much  more  than  pay  for  the  trouble  of  making 
the  map. 

It  requires  courage  to  go  into  a  fine  apple  orchard,  one  that  has  been 
watched  over  for  years,  and  cut  out  good,  healthy  trees.  But  in  many 
orchards  the  time  has  come  when  a  choice  must  be  made  between  two 
poor  trees  or  one  good  one.  If  one  has  definitely  made  up  his  mind  that 
his  trees  are  crowding,  perhaps  the  best  way  to  thin  them  is  to  do  as  the 
owner  of  a  fine  Baldwin  orchard  of  twenty  acres  did.  He  decided  which 
rows  should  be  removed.  Then,  to  be  sure  that  he  would  not  repent  and 
have  some  of  the  trees  left,  he  went  away  on  a  two  weeks'  visit  while 
the  boys  did  the  work. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
AGE  OF  THE  ORCHARDS. 

Date  of  planting. — Few  of  the  old  orchards  are  now  owned  by  the  men 
who  set  them,  or  even  by  the  descendants  of  these  men.  It  is,  therefore, 
difficult  to  get  the  exact  age  in  all  cases,  but  the  reports  are  probably 
accurate  enough  to. give  reliable  conclusions. 

Most  of  the  trees  set  before  1850  were  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
the  family  wants.  About  this  time  growers  began  to  set  commercial 
orchards.  The  majority  were  set  between  1860  and  1875.  The  number 
planted  decreased  till  1895.  Since  then  there  has  been  a  gradual  increase. 
(See  table  25.) 

The  young  orchards  are  nearly  all  in  the  north  part  of  the  county. 
Very  few  trees  have  been  set  in  the  south  part  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years.  (Some  discussion  of  the  reason  for  this  will  be  found  on  page  259.) 

TABLE  25. 

Number  of  acres  planted  during  each  five-year  period.  The  table  includes  only 
those  orchards  that  are  still  living.  Some  of  the  earlier  plantings  have  disap- 
peared. 


DATE  OF  PLANTING. 

No.  of  orchards. 

No.  of  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Before  1840  

18 

7? 

2 

1840-49  (10  years)  

•?? 

167^ 

4^ 

1850-54  

42 

167 

4# 

iS^-qo 

AC. 

208  Vz 

8 

1860-64  
1865-69 

153 

OI 

8ioX 

717 

22 
10 

1870-74 

67 

ACQ 

12 

1875-79 

47 

T&Ql/2 

10 

22 

104 

c 

1885-89  . 

12 

jiy* 

2 

1890-94  

10 

C4 

\yz  - 

1895-190^  (8  years)    . 

47 

^77 

10 

Yield  at  different  ages. — The  fact  that  apples  are  the  chief  source  of 
income  for  so  many  farmers,  and  that  practically  every  one  considers 
them  to  be  a  paying  crop,  would  seem  to  raise  the  question  of  why  more 
orchards  are  not  planted.  The  great  deterrent  to  such  planting  is  the 
long  time  that  one  must  wait  for  returns.  With  the  usual  treatment  of 


308 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      309 

Baldwin  and  Greening  trees  they  do  not  begin  to  be  profitable  for  nearly 
twenty  years.  A  much  less  profitable  crop  that  gives  returns  the  first 
year  can  therefore  compete  with  apples. 

If  well  cared  for,  the  trees  will,  usually  pay  sooner.  But  -the  very  fact 
that  it  is  so  long  before  a  revenue  is  secured  causes  the  owner  to  neglect 
the  trees,  so  that  the  normal  period  is  increased.  The  young  orchard 
usually  takes  its  place  as  a  field  in  the  crop  rotation,  and  is  therefore 
in  sod  or  small  grain  half  the  time.  One  frequently  sees  young  orchards 
in  wheat-fields  or  hay-fields.  '  The  short  growth,  knotty  bodies  and 
yellow  leaves  tell  the  story  of  shallow  roots,  dry  soil,  borers,  and  all -the 
ills  which  everv  farmer  who  follows  such  methods  deserves  to  have 


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FIG.  64. — Diagram  showing  the  yield  in  bushels  at  different  ages. 

fastened  to  his  trees."*  Grain  and  hay  should  never  be  grown  in  a  young 
orchard.  The  first  thing  to  grow  is  an  apple-tree.  Tilled  crops  are  the 
only  ones  that  can  be  grown  without  damaging  the  trees  and  lengthening 
the  period  before  they  are  ready  to  bear.  (See  Figs.  41,  42  and  43.) 

Many  of  the  orchards  now  being  set  are  composed  of  Ben  Davis, 
Hubbardston,  Duchess  and  other  early-bearing  varieties,  but  Baldwin  and 
Greening  still  hold  a  place. 

*Cornell  Bulletin  72. 


3io 


BULLETIN  226. 


It  is  a  long  time  to  wait  for  Baldwins  and  Greenings  to  begin  to  bear, 
but  they  make  up  for  this  delay  by  continuing  to  be  profitable  for  many 
years.  The  life  of  an  apple-tree  has  commonly  been  spoken  of  as  about 
forty  to  fifty  years,  but  the  maximum  yield  in  Wayne  county  is  not 
reached  till  forty-four  years  from  the  time  of  planting.  (See  table  26 
and  Fig.  64.)  After  this  there  is  a  gradual  decrease.  Several  orchards 

set  before  1820  are 
still  profitable.  With 
the  better  care  that 
trees  are  now  receiv- 
ing, their  age  of  max- 
i  m  u  m  yield  will 
doubtless  be  increased. 
It  is  probable  that  the 
returns  for  good 
treatment  will  be  even 
more  marked  in  pro- 
longing the  life  of  the 
orchard  than  in  in- 
creasing the  annual 
yield.  (See  Fig.  65.) 
There  are  very  few 
45-year-old  trees  that 
have  not  seen  some 
very  rough  treatment. 
They  have  gone  a 
number  of  years  with- 
out any  fertilization 

FIG.  65.— Ninety-six  years  old  and  still  young.  This  or  tillage.  The  canker- 
or chard  contains  about  145  of  the  original  270  trees  worm  has  feasted  on 
set  96  years  ago.  Orchard  of  J.  A.  Kuck,  Kuckvillc,  t]iem  .  cattle  have 
Orleans  county. 

damaged  them.    They 

have  gone  years  without  pruning,  or,  worse,  have  had  large  limbs  cut 
off  in  such  a  way  that  the  wounds  can  not  heal.  Some  orchards  of 
this  age  are  composed  of  sound,  thrifty  trees  that  give  promise  of  an 
increased  yield  for  some  years  to  come. 

Will  it  pay  to  plant  young  orchards? — From  the  ages  at  which  the 
yields  begin  to  decrease  it  would  seem  that  in  about  twenty  years  a  large 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      311 

part  of  the  present  orchards  would  cease  to  be  profitable.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  table  26  includes  only  those  orchards  that  have  survived. 
Many  orchards  set  sixty-five  years  ago  have  entirely  disappeared. 

TABLE  26. 
Age  and  yield  per  acre  in  bushels. 


1900. 

1901. 

DATE  OF  PLANTING. 

No. 
orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Yield. 

No. 
orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Yield. 

Before  1840  
1840-49  

1850-54  

1855-59  

4 
I 
12 

Q 

10 
10 

43 
33 

215 
200 

I 

13 
17 

24^ 
37 
47 
84^ 

83 
38 
34 
67 

1860-64  

54 

278^ 

347 

63 

360)^ 

57 

1865-69. 

41 

366 

293 

44 

465 

55 

1870-74  
1875-79  
1880-84  
1885-89  

26 

12 

9 

238 
8i# 

67 

5 

219 

255    ' 
164 
80 

34 
15 
9 
i 

278^ 

IOI 

69 

5 

61 

64 
6 
o 

1  800-0  5 

4 

18 

So 

4 

14 

36 

TABLE  26 — Concluded. 


DATE  OF 
PLANTING. 


Before  1840.  . 

1840-49 

1850-54 

1855-59 

1860-64 

1865-69 

1870-74 

1875-79 

1880-84 

1885-89 

1890-95 


1902. 

1903. 

FOUR-YEAR 
AVERAGE. 

No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Yield. 

No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Yield. 

age 
age. 

Yield. 

,4 

60 

175 

.  I 

i# 

210 

64 

171 

17 

93  1A 

1  86 

3 

18 

267 

59 

173 

38 

154 

22O 

13 

48^ 

224 

49 

181 

34 

255^ 

28l 

12 

i6i# 

312 

44 

257 

H5 

612^ 

232 

54 

284^ 

236 

39 

218 

74 

652 

212 

25 

274^ 

238 

34 

200 

51 

380^ 

222 

23 

211% 

261 

29 

191 

25 

138^ 

204 

ii 

45% 

286 

24 

202 

9 

1  20 

133 

7 

47/z 

155 

19 

•115 

6 

26 

42 

i 

10 

140 

14 

66 

10 

9l# 

29 

1 

10 

100 

9 

54 

The  tabulation  for  each  division  of  the  county  gives  the  maximum  yield  at  this 
same  age — 44  years. 


312  BULLETIN  226. 

It  is  difficult  to  tell  just  how  much  effect  the  better  care  will  have  in  pro- 
longing the  life  of  the  trees,  but  it  is  quite  certain  that  the  well-cared-for 
orchards* will  continue  to  pay  much  longer  than  the  average.  But  over 
half  the  orchards  are  not  well  cared  for,  and  it  is  perfectly  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  many  of  these  neglected  ones  will  be  gone  in  twenty  years. 
The  advisability  of  planting  more  orchards  to  take  the  place  of  these  old 
ones  is  therefore  worth  considering.  More  immediate  profit  would  come 
from  the  rejuvenation  of  the  old  orchard. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


SOILS  AND  SOIL  PROBLEMS. 
Topography. 

Topographical  regions. — Wayne  county  is  divided  into  two  distinct 
topographical  regions :  a  very  hilly  or  drumlin  region,  and  a  region  of 
gently  rolling  land;  but  each  of  these  regions  has  a  subdivision,  so  that 
we  have  four  divisions  (see  Fig.  66)  : 

(1)  A  drumlin  area. 

(2)  A  region  where 
the    dr  u  ml  ins    were 
once   wholly    or   par- 
tially submerged. 

(3)  A  gently  rolling 
glaciated  area. 

(4)  An  area  of  roll- 
ing    land     that     was 
formerly  the  old  lake 
bed. 

The  elevations 
above  sea  level  vary 
from  246  feet,  the 
level  of  the  lake,  to 


FIG.  66. — Topographical  regions.  I.  Drumlin  area.  II. 
Region  where  the  drumlins  were  once  wholly  or 
partially  covered  by  the  lake.  III.  Gently  rolling 
glaciated  area.  IV.  Old  lake  bed. 


670  feet,  the  top  of 
the  highest  hill. 
During  the  glacial  period  the  lake  level  was  about  440  feet  above  sea  level, 
or  about  the  height  of  the  "  ridge  ".  This  ridge  was  a  sand-bar  or  lake 
shore  line.  The  present  sand-bar  running  across  Sodus  Bay  probably 
appears  somewhat  as  the  ridge  appeared  during  this  period.  (See  Fig. 
141.)  This  ridge  is  more  or  less  continuous  from  Sodus  Bay  to  Buffalo. 
It  is  a  gravel  formation  ten  to  thirty  feet  high  and  about  four  rods  wide 
on  top.  It  makes  a  natural  roadway  and  has  always  been  used  for  that 
purpose.  The  Rochester  and  Sodus  Bay  trolley  line,  built  on  this  nature- 
graded  roadbed,  has  furnished  a  very  important  supplement  to  the  rail- 
roads in  marketing  the  fruit  of  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

During  the  glacial  period  the  entire  county  was  covered  with  a  thick 
mass  of  ice.     This  ice  was  gradually  moved  southward,  and  carried  with  it 

313 


314  BULLETIN  226. 

the  stony  material  that  now  makes  up  the  soil  of  the  south  part  of  the 
county.  This  material  was  deposited  in  the  long  hills,  or  drumlins,  and  in 
the  sheet  of  stony  material  that  occurs  between  them.  The  depth  of  this 
covering  of  glacial  drift  varies  from  a  few  feet  to  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet.  In  many  places  between  the  hills  the  bed-rock  is  very 
close  to  the  surface,  what  soil  there  is  having  been  largely  brought  from 
the  hills  by  the  rains.  In  some  places  the  bed-rock  is  still  uncovered. 
Many  of  the  small  streams  that  drain  the  area  run  on  this  rock.  In  order 
to  drain  some  of  the  lower  land,  the  rock  must  be  blasted  out  in  order 
to  deepen  the  streams. 

The  drumlin  area. — About  two-thirds  of  the  county  is  covered  with  a 
succession  -of  the  long  north  and  south  hills  or  drumlins.     (See  page  364.) 


FIG.  67. — Near  Sodus  Bay.    A   sandy  soil.     This  was  formerly  the  old  lake   bed. 
The  hills  in  the  foreground  have  been  caused  by  subsequent  erosion. 

These  hills  have  a  slightly  northwest  and  southeast  direction.  They  are 
from  one-fourth  of  a  mile  to  three  miles  long — usually  a  little  over  a 
mile — and  are  about  one-fourth  as  wide  as  long.  Their  tops  are  from 
450  to  670  feet  above  sea  level,  and  rise  from  75  to  175  feet  above  the 
valleys.  .These  heights  for  such  narrow  hills  give  very  steep  east  and 
west  slopes.  The  north  and  south  slopes  occupy  comparatively  little  of 
the  area.  The  former  are  abrupt,  the  latter  more  gentle.  The  greater 
part  of  the  elevated  land,  therefore,  consists  of  very  steep  east  and  west 
slopes.  The  orchards  are  situated  on  these  slopes  and  on  some  of  the 
rolling  land  of  lower  levels.  The  soil  type  of  the  hills  and  the  higher 
part  of  the  lower  land  is  the  Miami  stony  loam.  (See  page  316.) 

The  drumlin  area  that  was  once  partly  submerged. — In  the  northeast 
part  of  the  county,  east  of  Sodus  Bay,  there  is  a  considerable  area  where 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  or  \Y.\v xi<:  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      315 

the  drumlins  were  once  islands  or  were  covered  by  the  lake  at  the  same 
time  when  the  ridge  was  formed.  (See  Fig.  67.)  The  sediment  depos- 
ited in  the  quiet  water  that  rilled  these  lower  places  formed  the  Miami 
silt  loam  (see  page  317),  which  has  proved  to  be  an  excellent  apple  soil. 
The  higher-lying  land  is  mostly  the  Miami  stony  loam  and  Alton  stony 
loam.  Areas  of  Miami  fine  sand  also  occur. 

The  gently  rolling,  glaciated  area. — Between  the  ridge  and  the  drum- 
lins of  Marion  and  Walworth  townships  the  soil  was  mostly  removed  by 
the  glaciers.  In  many  places  the  rock  is  so  near  the  surface  as  to  inter- 
fere with  the  growth  of  apples.  The  soil  is  a  good  apple  soil  where  deep 
enough  and  where  there  is  an  outlet  for  the  water. 

Area  of  rolling  land  that  was  once  the  lake  bed. — North  of  the  ridge 
the  land  was  once  the  old  lake  bed.  The  soil  is  formed  from  sedimentary 
deposits  in  the  old  lake  and  to  some  extent  from  deposits  by  the  glaciers. 
It  is  now  a  gently  rolling  plain  with  a  quite  variable  soil.  (See  Fig. 
144.)  In  many  places  the  drainage  is  poor,  but  there  are  many  desir- 
able sites  for  orchards.  The  soil  types  used  for  apples  are  the  Alton 
stony  loam,  Miami  silt  loam  and  Miami  fine  sand.* 

Soils. 

The  soil  types. — The  chief  apple  soils  of  the  county  are  the  Miami 
stony  loam,  the  Miami  silt  loam  and  the  Alton  stony  loam.  Apples  are 
also  grown  on  the  Miami  fine  sand,  the  Ontario  gravelly  loam  and  on  a 
phase  of  the  Alton  stony  loam  that  has  the  bed-rock  too  near  the  surface. f 


*For  a  further  discussion  of  the  topography,  geology  and  origin  of  soils,  see 
Part  II  of  this  report. 

tFor  a  more  extended  discussion  of  soils,  see  the  report  of  "A  Soil  Survey  of  the 
Lyons  Area,"  a  reprint  from  the  "  Field  Operations  of  the  Bureau  of  Soils,  1902." 
This  gives  a  discussion  of  the  soils  and  a  soil  map  of  all  the  county  except  the  west 
tier  of  townships.  It  is  sent  free  to  all  who  apply  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

This  report  was  not  published  at  the  time  the  orchard  survey  was  made,  so  that 
the  soil  classification  was  independent  of  the  Bureau  of  Soils,  though  following  the 
same  methods.  More  subdivisions  were  made  in  the  orchard  work,  with  the  idea 
of  combining,  if  the  differences  were  found  to  be  insufficient  to  warrant  the  separa- 
tion. The  Miami  stony  loam,  Alton  stony  loam  and  Miami  fine  sand  were  each 
divided  into  two  subtypes.  These  divisions  seem  to  be  entirely  unnecessary.  One 
subdivision  of  the  Alton  stony  loam,  in  which  the  bed-rock  is  so  near  the  surface  as 
materially  to  affect  the  production  of  apples,  is  retained  as  a  distinct  type.  The 
Ontario  gravelly  loam  was  mapped  by  the  Bureau  of  Soils  with  the  Miami  stony 
loam  and  Alton  stony  loam.  This  is  kept  as  a  distinct  type.  The  smallness  of  the 


316  BULLETIN  226. 

The  Miami  stony  loam  is  the  stony  soil  that  covers  the  drumlins  and 
most  of  the  rolling  land  between  these  hills.  It  is  a  light  brown  loam, 
eight  to  ten  inches  deep,  containing  five  to  forty  per  cent  of  stone  and 
gravel.  The  stones  are  usually  small  and  well  rounded.  The  subsoil 
is  a  brownish-yellow,  stony  loam.  The  proportion  of  stone  and  gravel 
usually  increases  at  greater  depths,  but  the  reverse  is  sometimes  true. 
The  gravel  is  sometimes  cemented  together  so  as  to  form  a  gravel  hard- 
pan.  This  occasionally  occurs  near  enough  to  the  surface  to  interfere 
with  the  growth  of  apple-trees.  Table  27  gives  a  summary  of  the  average 
mechanical  analyses  of  four  samples  of  this  soil. 

TABLE  27. 

Mechanical  analyses  of   the  fine   earth   of  Miami  stony   loam.      Average  of  four 
samples,  three  of  which  were  taken  from  the  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Soils. 

Soil.  Subsoil. 

Per  cent.         Per  cent. 

Organic  matter 1 .96  .        I  •  13 

Fine  gravel  and  coarse  sand  (2  —  0.5  mm)... 6.  7. 

Medium,  fine  and  very  fine  sand  (0.5  —  0.05  mm) 44.  46. 

Silt   (0.05  —  0.005  mm) 39-  34- 

Clay   (0.005  —  o.oooi  mm) n.  13- 

The  Alton  stony  loam. — This  type  of  soil  occurs  north  of  the  drumlin 
area.  The  surface  soil,  to  a  depth  of  seven  to  ten  inches,  consists  of 
brown  sandy  or  silty  loam.  The  subsoil  is  a  yellowish-brown  sandy  or 
silty  loam.  The  type  contains  ten  to. fifty  per  cent  of  stone,  which  gen- 
erally consists  of  more  angular  fragments  than  those  in  the  Miami  stony 
loam.  It  also  contains  more  fine  sand  or  silt  than  that  type.  South  of 
the  ridge  there  are  considerable  areas  of  it  that  contain  limestone  frag- 
ments. Table  28  gives  the  averages  of  three  analyses  of  this  type. 

TABLE  28. 
Mechanical  analyses  of  the  fine  earth  of  the  Alton  stony  loam.    Average  of  three 

analyses  made  "by  the  Bureau  of  Soils. 

Soil.  Subsoil. 

Per  cent.        Per  cent. 

Organic  matter 3-89  -6r 

Fine  gravel  and  coarse  sand  (2  —  0.5  mm) 5  •  4  • 

Medium,  fine  and  very  fine  sand  (0.5  —  0.05  mm) 52.  46. 

*  Silt  (0.05  —  0.005  mm) 3O-  31- 

Clay  (0.005  —  o.oooi  mm) 13-  I9- 

individual  areas  would  make  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  map  it  separately  by 
the  Bureau  of  Soils  method.  The  Miami  silt  loam  (called  the  Elmira  silt  loam  in 
the  Bureau  of  Soils  report,  but  since  changed  to  Miami  silt  loam)  corresponds 
exactly  with  one  of  the  classifications  made  by  the  writer.  In  general  the  soil  types 
and  the  mechanical  analyses  agree  remarkably  well  for  results  secured  from  inde- 
pendent work. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      317 

South  of  the  ridge,  in  the  west  part  of  the  county,  there  are  considerable 
areas  of  the  Alton  stony  loam,  where  the  soil  rests  on  limestone  rock 
that  is  so  near  the  surface  as  to  interfere  with  the  growth  of  apples.  The 
soil  is  too  shallow  to  admit  of  good  root-growth  or  to  allow  good 
drainage. 

The  Miami  silt  loam. — This  is  a  brown  or  yellowish-brown  silt  loam, 
eight  or  ten  inches  deep,  underlaid  by  brownish-yellow  or  yellow  silty 
loam.  This  type  occurs  on  the  rolling  land  near  the  lake  and  around 
Sodus  Bay.  (See  table  29.) 

TABLE  29. 

Mechanical  analyses  of  Miami  silt  loam.     Average  of  four  samples,  three  of  which 
were  analyzed  by  the  Bureau  of  Soils. 

Soil.  Subsoil. 

Percent.         Percent. 

Organic  matter 1 . 44  .32 

Fine  gravel  and  coarse  sand  (2  —  0.5  mm) i.  i. 

Medium,  fine  and  very  fine  sand  (0.5  —  0.05  mm) 22.  18. 

Silt  (o .  05  —  o .  005  mm) ' 64 .  66 . 

Clay  (0.005  — o. oooi  mm) T3-  M- 

Miami  fine  sand. — This  type  is  a  light  brown  sandy  loam,  eight  or  ten 
inches  deep,  underlain  by  light  yellow  sand,  usually  free  from  stones. 
Its  chief  occurence  is  north  of  the  ridge.  (See  table  30.) 

TABLE  30. 

Mechanical  analyses  of  the  Miami  fine  sand.    'Average  of  three  analyses  made  by 

the  Bureau  of  Soils. 

Soil.  Subsoil. 

Per  cent.        Per  cent. 

Organic  matter   2.15-          o .  38 

Fine  gravel  and  coarse  sand  (2 —  0.5  mm) 4.  3. 

Medium,  fine  and  very  fine  sand  (0.5  —  0.05  mm) 78.  85. 

Silt  (0.05  —  0.005  mm) 14-  9- 

Clay  (0.005  —  o. oooi  mm) 3.  2. 

Ontario  gravelly  loam. — This  is  a  brown  gravel  underlain  by  a  light 
brown  gravel  or  gravelly  loam.  The  predominating  characteristic  is  the 
gravel.  Most  of  the  gravel  is  less  than  one  inch  in  diameter.  It  occurs 
in  small  deposits  in  the  Miami  stony  loam  and  is  the  common  type  along 
the  ridge.  It  is  a  very  open  soil — too  well  drained.  Along  the  ridge 
it  is  nearly  all  planted  to  apples.  The  deposits  of  gravel  that  occur  in 
the  drumlins  are  frequently  used  on  the  public  roads.  (See  Fig.  69.) 

Average  yield  on  the  different  soil  types. — Table  31  shows  the  average 
yields  on  the  six  different  types  of  soil.  The  number  of  orchards  on  the 
last  three  types  is  not  large  enough  to  give  positive  results.  The  table 


BULLETIN  226. 


shows  definitely  that  the  Miami  stony  loam  averages  better  than  the  Alton 
stony  loam  and  that  the.  soil  with  the  bed-rock  near  the  surface  is  by  far 
the  poorest  of  all.  1  believe  that  the  four-year  average  shows  the  rela- 
tive merits  of  the  soils  quite  accurately,  except  that  the  average  for  the 
Ontario  gravelly  loam  seems  to  be  a  little  too  high.  It  is  certain,  how- 
ever, that  this  type  usually  gives  a  good  yield.  All  previous  discussions 
of  apple  soils,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  determine,  would  consider 
this  a  very  poor  apple  soil. 

TABLE  31. 
Average  yield  in  bushels  on  different  soil  types.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


IQOO. 

1901. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

Miami  stony  loam 

116 

542^ 

287 

I  CQ 

834  y. 

S7 

Alton  stony  loam  

24 

182 

255 

20 

144/4. 

33 

Alton    stony  loam    (bed    rock 
near  surface) 

8 

-JC 

218 

26 

7 

Miami  silt  loam 

7 

125 

•?7Q 

£ 

115 

99 

Ontario  gravelly  loam 

2 

17 

474 

7 

35/^ 

73 

Miami  fine  sandy  loam   

E 

41 

IOO 

6 

51 

93 

TABLE  31 — Concluded. 


1902. 

1903. 

Four- 

SOIL  TYPE. 

No. 
orchards 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No. 

orchards 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

average. 

Miami  stony  loam  

272 

1419^ 

234 

132 

788X 

283 

215 

Alton  stony  loam  

43 

358 

215 

19 

185 

229 

183 

Alton    stony    loam    (bed 

rock  near  surface)  .... 

12 

66 

151 

•  5 

29^ 

237 

153 

Miami  silt  loam  

8 

129 

260 

3 

44 

214 

238 

Ontario  gravelly  loam.  .  . 

12 

63^ 

295 

2 

9 

278 

280 

Miami  fine  sandy  loam  .  . 

8 

63 

353 

7 

172 

22O 

192 

Summary  of  the  soil  factor  in  apple-production. — While  the  kind  of 
soil  is  important,  in  this  locality,  it  is  evidently  not  the  most  important 
factor  in  apple-production  and  is  not  as  important  as  the  kind  of  treatment 
that  the  soil  receives.  The  kind  of  care  required  varies  with  the  soil.  The 
Miami  silt  loam  will  doubtless  produce  a  good  crop  with  less  manure 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      319 

than  is  required  on  any  of  the  other  types.  The  Miami  stony  loam  is 
next  strongest.  The  other  types  require  larger  applications  of  manure, 
but  give  good  results  when  so  treated.  These  latter  are  more  open  and 
are  more  in  need  of  humus.  The  soil  with  the  bed-rock  near  the  surface 
is  entirely  unsuited  to  apples.  For  the  best  production  of  apples,  there 
should  be  at  least  six  feet  of  well-drained  soil  in  every  part  of  the  orchard. 

Drainage. 

The  condition   of   the   natural   drainage. — In   selecting   a   soil    for   an 
orchard,   more  important  than  chemical  or  physical  composition   is  the 


FIG.  68. — In  the  center  of  a  35-acre  orchard  that  is  on  a  hill.  Several  acres  have 
been  gradually  killed  and  many  more  damaged  by  ground  water.  This  land  has 
grown  up  to  vveeds  and  gives  no  income.  It  could  easily  be  drained. 

question  of  drainage.     No  well-drained  soils  were  found  in  the  county 
that  were  not  producing  good  crops  of  apples  when  properly  cared  for. 

The  majority  of  the  orchards  are  on  fairly  well  drained  land.  A  large 
number  would  be  benefited  by  underdrainage,  but  in  some  cases  the  bene- 
fit would  not  be  great  enough  to  pay.  Some  orchards  have  been  set  on 
such  wet. land  that  they  have  entirely  failed;  others  have  one  corner 
extending  down  into  a  low  place  where  drainage  is  needed;  others  are 
divided  by  small  "  draws  "  that  need  underdrains.  Where  the  orchards 
are  on  steep  hillsides  it  might  seem  as  if  underdrainage  would  be 
unnecessary,  but  there  are  many  places  where  the  seepage  water  calls  for 
drains.  In  other  places  the  long  slopes  accumulate  such  a  large  volume 


320 


BULLETIN  226. 


of  surface  water  that  drains  are  needed.  Fig.  68  shows  a  35-acre  orchard, 
in  the  center  of  which  are  several  acres  that  have  been  drowned  out.  This 
orchard  is  on  a  high  hill  and  has  a  fair  slope,  but  it  needs  drainage.  There 
is  usually  a  strip  of  poorly  drained  land  on.  each  side  of  the  "ridge". 
Kettle-holes  occur  occasionally  in  the  north  part  of  the  county.  In  a  few 
orchards  near  the  lake  shore  there  are  successions  of  parallel  waves  of  land, 
making  a  few  rods  of  good  soil  followed  by  some  that  needs  drainage. 

In  the  northeast 
part  of  the  county 
several  orchards  were 
examined  the  foliage 
of  which  was  of  a  red- 
dish hue  when  viewed 
from  a  distance. 
Some  of  the  leaves 
were  quite  red  in  the 
latter  part  of  August. 
This  seemed  to  be 
due  to  the  lack  of 
drainage.  It  was 
characteristic  of  foli- 
age in  und rained 
places.  Several  farm- 
ers attributed  this  to 
a  "  new  insect  "  that 
had  "  stung  the 
leaves  ". 

The  Ontario  grav- 
elly loam  and  the 
Miami  fine  sand  drain 
too  easily  —  that  is, 


FIG.  69. — An    excavation    showing    stratified    Ontario 
gravelly  loam.     Too  well  drained! 


they  do  not  retain  enough  water.  On  such  soils  tillage  is  particularly 
profitable.  A  cover-crop  or  barnyard  manure  is  a  necessity.  They  add 
humus  and  increase  the  water-holding  capacity  of  the  soil.  Tillage  and 
humus  will  make  any  of  these  soils  good  for  apples.  (See  Fig.  69.) 

Losses  caused  by  lack  of  drainage. — Of  the  1,773^2  acres  of  orchard 
land  in  Walworth,  only  182  acres  have  any  kind  of  underdrainage.  Most 
of  these  have  only  a  stone  drain  or  two  in  a  particularly  wet  place.  A 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      321 

few  have  tile  drains.  Fifty-four  orchards,  aggregating  232  acres,  are 
reported  as  in  need  of  drainage.  This  means  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
inspector,  some  tile  drainage  would  pay.  The  average  yield  of  these  54 


FIG.  70. — A   twelve-acre   orchard,  two  acres  of  which  are  dead,  and   tzvo   acres 
damaged  by*  lack  of  drainage. 


FIG.  71- — -The  trees  are  all  damaged  by  insufficient  drainage.  The  grower  continues 
to  plant  young  trees  and  these  are  continually  drowned  out.  It  would  pay  better 
to  {< plant"  tile  drains. 


322 


BULLETIN  226. 


orchards  in.  1902  was  203  bushels,  42  bushels  below  the  average  of  the 
other  orchards  in  this  town.  Of  the  1,987^  acres  inspected  in  the 
remainder  of  the  county,  317  acres  have  some  underdrains,  but  831  acres 
need  drainage  in  whole  or  in  part. 

Perhaps  five  to  eight  per  cent  of  the  orchards  of  the  county  need  under- 
drainage  throughout.  About  thirty  per  cent  need  drainage  in  part.  The 
great  loss  through  neglect  of  drainage  is  not  in  the  destruction  or  damage 


FIG.  72. — A  "  draw  "  in  a  ijo-acre  orchard  wiicrc  tJic  trees  are  being  gradually 
drowned  out.  The  tree  in  the  foreground  is  dying  but  is  bearing  a  large  crop 
of  little  apples  and  few  leaves.  The  owner  considers  it  a  phenomenal  tree,  but 
it  will  probably  not  bear  many  more  crops. 

of  the  few  entire  orchards,  bu£in  the  loss  from  the  few  small  wet  places 
in  hundreds  of  orchards ;  for  there  are  hundreds  of  orchards  that  have 
from  one  to  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  trees  drowned  out  or  badly  damaged. 
There  is  a  low  place,  a  "  draw  "  (see  Fig.  72),  or  a  kettle-hole,  or  a  place 
where  the  water  seeps  out,  and  a  few  trees  are  killed  or  damaged.  These 
vacant  places  are  in  most  cases  waste  land.  If  they  were  occupied  by 
trees  it  would  not  add  materially  to  the  expense  of  caring  for  the  orchard, 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      323 


but  would  add  very  substantially  to  the  income.  Figs.  68,  70  and  71 
show  such  areas  of  waste  land,  due  to  lack  of  drainage.  Many  of  the 
trees  that  are  not  killed  are  badly  damaged.  In  such  places  a  few  tile 
or  a  good  stone  drain  would  pay  many  times  over.  A  manufacturer 

would  not  long  allow     ,  H|1|BI  IIIB ,  

any  such  loss.  Why 
should  a  farmer  give 
less  attention  to 
losses  in  his  business  ? 
Lack  of  drainage 
may  not  be  apparent 
while  the  trees  are 
young.  It  is  a  grow- 
ing evil,  for  as  the 
trees  get  larger  and 
the  roots  extend 


deeper,  they  get  into 
poorly  drained  and 
poorly  aerated  soil. 


FIG.  73.— In  the  same  orchard  as  Fig.  68,  showing  the 
border  line  between  the  dead  and  dying  trees.  The 
trees  are  45  years  old.  Their  size  can  be  seen  by  com- 
paring with  the  small  boy.  The  gnarly  horizontal 
spread  of  the  limbs  is  characteristic  of  trees  that  are 
in  the  most  poorly  drained  places. 


FIG.  74. — This  orchard  is  ordinarily  fairly  well  drained  but  in  the  wet  seasons 
it  suffers.  The  picture  was  taken  Oct.  TO.  1904.  At  this  date  the  leaves 
had  all  fallen,  because  of  the  wet  soil.  The  leaves  had  been  falling  badly 
for  two  months. 


324  BULLETIN  226. 

The  trees  may  do  very  well  till  they  are  about  old  enough  to  bear,  then 
some  wet  season  they  will  be  damaged  or  even  killed. 

Those  who  propose  to  set  new  orchards  should  consider  the  question 
well  before  starting  such  an  expensive  and  long-continued  enterprise 
on  soil  that  is  not  well  drained  naturally  or  artificially.  It  is  not  enough 
that  the  soil  will  raise  an  ordinary  farm  crop.  The  roots  of  such  a  crop 
do  not  go  as  deep  as  do  apple-roots.  Furthermore,  if  a  corn  crop  is  lost 
or  damaged  by  water,  it  does  not  prevent  raising  a  good  crop  next  year. 
When  an  apple  orchard  is  damaged  one  can  not  start  over  the  next  spring 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  The  corn  is  an  annual,  a  one-year  invest- 
ment ;  the  apple,  a  perennial,  a  long-time  investment. 


CHAPTER  X. 
ELEVATIONS  AND  EXPOSURES. 

Sites. — The   sites  are  classified  as  elevated,  or  well  up  on  the  hills ; 
moderately  elevated ;   slightly   elevated,   and   low.     Table   32   shows   the 

areas  of  each  division. 

TABLE  32. 

Sites  of  orchards.     Table  includes  all  ages  of  trees. 


WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  Co. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

No. 
orchards. 

Acres. 

Elevated 

158 
133 
147 

790^ 

495^ 
487X 

34 
91 
10 

359 
1488 
140/2 

I92 
224 
157 

1149^ 
1983^ 
627^ 

Moderately  and  slightly  elevated. 
Low  .    . 

Relation  of  the  sites  to  yields. — The  yields  do  not  indicate  any  par- 
ticular advantage  for  any  of  the  divisions.  The  four-year  average  in 
Wai  worth  on  elevated  sites  was  227  bushels ;  moderately  and  slightly 
elevated,  224  bushels;  low,  213  bushels.  For  the  remainder  of  the  county 


FIG.  75, — An  orchard  on  the  east  side  of  a  drumlin. 

the  differences  are  about  the  same  but  are  in  the  reverse  order.  Evidently 
the  site  is  not  a  very  important  factor.  The  best  site  is  doubtless  one 
that  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  give  good  opportunity  for  air  and  water- 
drainage,  but  not  so  high  as  to  be  sharply  exposed  to  wind. 

The  aspects  or  exposure. — The  majority  of  the  orchards  in  the  drumlin 
area  are  on  east  or  west  slopes  occupying  the  sides  of  the  drumlins  (see 
Fig.  75  and  page  364).  There  are,  however,  many  orchards  on  the  rolling 
land  of  lower  levels,  and  in  the  north  part  of  the  county,  where  there  are 


326  BULLETIN  226. 

no  drumlins,  the  land  is  rolling.     Table  33  shows  the  predominance  of 
east  and  west  slopes  in  Walworth. 

TABLE  33. 
Aspect. 

WALWORTH. 

Exposure.  No.  orchards.  Acres. 

N 25  80 

N.  E 27  88 

E  84  313^ 

S.  E 19  74^ 

S 26  oi  V-2 

S.  W 20  74 

W   71  268 

N.  W 15  61 

Level 45  129^4 

Rolling* 106  593 


*Most  of  those  classed  as  rolling  are  a  combination  of  east  and  west  slopes.  The 
south  part  of  the  county  has  equally  marked  east  and  west  slopes.  The  north  part  is 
rolling. 

The  effect  of  aspect  on  yields. — The  easterly  slopes  in  Walworth  gave 
a  larger  yield  each  of  the  past  four  years  than  have  the  westerly  slopes. 
The  difference  in  1902  was  23  bushels  per  acre  in  favor  of  the 
easterly  slopes.  In  each  of  the  other  years  the  difference  was  greater. 
The  north  part  of  the  county  does  not  show  this  marked  uniform  differ- 
ence. The  differences  are  greater  than  one  would  expect.  In  each  of  the 
four  years  the  northeast  slopes  have  exceeded  the  northwest,  the  east  have 
exceeded  the  west ;  the  only  exceptions  are  that  in  two  cases  the  south- 
east have  failed  to  exceed  the  southwest.  The  four-year  average  in 
Walworth  was  43  bushels  in  favor  of  easterly  slopes. 

It  seems  safe  to  conclude  that  the  easterly  slopes  have  marked  advan- 
tages over  the  westerly.  This  is  due  to  the  protection  from  the  strong 
west  winds  which  do  considerable  damage  at  times.  In  the  first  part  of 
June,  1903,  the  leaves  of  the  west  rows  in  many  orchards  were  badly 
injured  by  winds.  In  many  cases  the  foliage  looked  brown  from  the 
distance.  The  outer  part  of  most  leaves  was  damaged  and  many  entire 
leaves  were  killed.  The  effects  were  still  apparent  in  July.  These  strong 
west  winds  also  cause  more  loss  from  windfalls  on  the  west  sides  of  the 
hills.  The  orchards  on  the  level  exposures  give  the  least  yields  of  all, 
a  difference  that  is  probably  due  to  poorer  drainage. 


CHAPTER   XL 


A  COMPARISON  OF  RENTED  ORCHARDS  WITH  THOSE  MANAGED  BY  THE 

OWNER. 

Census  of  rented  orchards. — Between  twenty  and  twenty-five  per  cent 
of  the  area  devoted  to  apples  is  rented.  (See  table  34.)  The  usual 
method  of  renting"  an  orchard  is  the  share  system.  The  renter  takes  entire 
charge  of  the  orchard  and  delivers  a  certain  share  of  the  crop' — usually 
half — to  the  owner.  A  cash  rental  is  not  uncommon,  but  is  given  in  a 
much  smaller  number  of  cases.  Many  of  the  renters  do  not  remain  on 
one  farm  longer  than  one  or  two  years. 

TABLE  34. 
Area  of  rented  orchards  and  of  those  not  rented.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


PROPRIETOR. 

WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  COUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No.   or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.   or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Per 

cent. 

Owner  . 

243 
64 

i;o8o^ 

259/^ 

81 
19 

85 

37 

1,451 

487^ 

75 
25 

328 
101 

2,531^ 

747 

77 
23 

Renter 

Effects  of  the  rental  system  on  the  health  of  the  orchard. — The  large 
number  of  rented  orchards  gives  rise  to  a  serious  problem  in  orchard 
management.  When  a  man  rents  land  for  the  growth  of  field  crops,  there 
is  not  only  a  definite  basis  for  the  rent  but  there  is  also  an  unwritten  law 
that  has  established  quite  definitely  how  he  should  raise  these  crops. 
There  are  no  such  definite  customs  that  determine  the  care  which  a  rented 
apple  orchard  should  receive. 

The  greatest  obstacle  in  the  way  of  good  care  is  the  fact  that  the  returns 
for  good  treatment  do  not  come  immediately.  Good  care  of  field-crops 
gives  an  immediate  effect;  good  care  of  an  apple  orchard  may  give  less 
returns  the  first  year  than  it  gives  several  years  later.  A  renter  does 
not  like  to  plow  up  a  pasture  that  is  of  immediate  value  for  the  benefit 
of  a  future  apple-crop.  If  he  mows  the  grass,  he  is  not  likely  to  leave  it 
for  a  mulch,  unless  it  is  not  good  for  hay.  The  farm  manure  will  bring 
him  quicker  returns  if  used  on  the  field-crops.  The  greatest  return  which 

327 


328 


BULLETIN  226. 


he  gets  from  pruning  may  be  in  the  fire-wood  procured,  and  some  of  the 
pruning  is  therefore  done  so  as  to  get  the  most  wood  with  the  least  work. 
If  he  has  no  crop,  he  does  not  see  the  profit  in  spraying  for  the  benefit 
of  a  future  crop  that  he  may  not  reap. 

All  these  points  are  emphasized  when  the  renter  is  certain  that  he  will 
not  stay  another  year.  Their  effect  on  the  tree  is  partially  indicated  by 
the  average  yields.  This  average  for  the  past  four  years  has  been  174 
bushels  for  the  rented  orchards  and  210  bushels  for  those  not  rented. 
(See  table  35.) 

TABLE  35. 
,     Yields  of  rented  orchards  compared  with  those  not  rented.     Trees  set  before  1880. 


PROPRIETOR. 

WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  COUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 
age 

yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 
yBd. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Aver- 
yield. 

1900. 
Owner  
Renter.               

94 
118 

20 
I96 

45 
99 

12 

387X 
75^ 

607* 

H3 

208^ 

58o^ 
70 

332 
305 

262 
I96 

280 
222 

31 
15 

32 

23 

61 

28 

33 
9 

542 
242^ 

567 
367M 

lQ04l/2 

395/2 

*&x 

247 
232 

49 
47 

21? 
183 

239 
215 

125 
28 

150 

43 

257 
73 

132 

21 

929X 

480^ 

I940X 
604 

1156* 

248^ 

283 
249 

57 
45 

239 
187 

260 
216 

1901. 
Owner  
Renter  

1902. 
Owner 

Renter 

1903. 
Owner  
Renter  

Four-year  average : 

Managed  by  owner 210  bushels 

Managed  by  renters .* 174 

The  attitude  of  the  renter  is,  on  the  whole,  about  as  good  as  that  of 
the  owner  of  a  rented  farm.  Owners  are  usually  very  slow  to  spend 
money  on  improvements,,  or  in  keeping  up  a  place.  Both  men  often 
squeeze  the  farm  for  the  last  penny  and  let  the  future  look  out  for  itself. 

In  a  very  few  cases  the  difficulty  has  been  overcome  by  a  contract  with 
the  renter,  that  he  is  to  give  the  orchard  certain  definite  care.  One  such 
contract  calls  for  at  least  two  sprayings  and  two  cultivations. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      329 

Suggestions  and  reflections  on  the  rented  farm. — Many  renters  would 
be  glad  to  improve  the  orchard,  but  the  pruning  and  renovation  of  a 
neglected  orchard  is  an  expensive  undertaking.  One  cannot  afford  to 
do  this  unless  he  has  a  lease  for  several  years,  or  unless  the  owner 
helps  to  pay  the  cost.  The  owner  does  not  like  to  spend  money  for 
such  work,  for  he  feels  that  he  will  likely  have  a  poor  tenant  about  the 
time  that  the  orchard  gets  in  good  shape.  Some  have  taken  the 
broader  view  and  have  spent  money  in  the  renovation  of  the  orchard. 
These  have  almost  invariably  been  well  repaid  by  the  increased  income. 
An  owner  who  takes  a  pride  in  keeping  up  his  place  and  who  is  willing 
to  spend  money,  if  necessary,  in  improving  it,  stimulates  the  renter  by 
his  own  interest.  Such  a  man  also  attracts  the  better  class  of  renters. 
He  may  occasionally  have  a  very  poor  one,  but  the  average  is  certainly 
much  above  that  found  on  the  farm  where  the  owner  begrudges  new 
shingles  on  the  barn.  The  renter  sometimes  takes  so  much  pride  in 
his  work  that  he  will  take  good  care  of  an  orchard  even  if  he  does 
not  expect  an  immediate  return.  This  is  also  a  good  investment  for 
such  a  man  becomes  known  and  can  therefore  secure  a  farm  more  readily 
and  sometimes  on  better  terms. 

Unquestionably  the  most  effective  way  to  bring  the  rented  orchards 
up  to  the  average  is  to  give  leases  for  a  longer  time.  The  commonest 
reason  for  not  doing  this  is  the  fear  that  a  shiftless  tenant  will  secure 
the  place  and  retain  it.  There  is  abundant  reason  for  this  fear,  but  if 
the  renter  changes  every  year  or  two,  the  chances  of  a  bad  one  at  some 
time  are  multiplied.  Such  a  man  may  do  more  damage  in  one  year  than 
can  be  overcome  in  many  years.  A  fairly  good  man,  or  even  one  that 
is  below  the  average,  if  kept  from  year  to  year  will  give  better  results 
than  a  rapid  succession  of  good  and  bad  tenants. 

As  one  travels  through  orchard  after  orchard,  he  becomes  more  and 
more  impressed  with  the  desirability  of  maintaining  the  American 
ideal  of  every  farm  owned  by  trie  man  who  works  it.  But  if  the  owner 
secures  the  best  renter  possible,  gives  him  a  lease  of  several  years, 
requires  good  care  of  the  orchard,  and  then  is  willing  to  bear  part  of 
the  expense  of  renovating  the  orchard  where  this  is  necessary,  the 
renter  ceases  to  be  a  menace  to  the  apple  industry. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

VARIETIES. 

The  varieties  grown. — Nearly  all  the  bearing  orchards  are  made  up  of 
a  mixture  of  Baldwin  and  Rhode  Island  Greening,  with  a  few  trees  of 
other  kinds.  There  are  more  Baldwins  than  of  all  other  varieties  com- 
bined. Probably  eighty  to  ninety  per  cent  of  all  the  trees  are  either 
Baldwin  or  Greening.  The  larger  part  of  the  balance  are  Tompkins  King, 
Northern  Spy,  Twenty  Ounce  and  Roxbury  Russet.  There  are  some 
trees  of  many  other  varieties  but  the  numbers  are  so  small  as  to  be 
unimportant  in  comparison  with  the  above  kinds.  Some  of  these  less 
important  varieties  are :  Hubbardston,  Ben  Davis,  Esopus  Spitzenburg, 
Wagener,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg,  Red  Astrachan. 

The  young  orchards  also  differ  much  in  varieties,  but  the  larger  part 
are  planted  to  Baldwin,  Ben  Davis,  Greening,  Hubbardston.  Other 
varieties  that  are  being  planted  to  a  very  limited  extent  are:  Duchess 
of  Oldenburg,  Wealthy,  Wolf  River,  Mann,  Grimes  Golden,  Rome  Beauty, 
Maiden  Blush,  Red  Astrachan,  Northern  Spy,  Russets,  Snow,  Yellow 
Bellflower,  Boiken,  Mclntosh  Red,  Gravenstein,  Sutton  Beauty,  Bis- 
mark,  etc. 

Variations  ivithin  the  variety. — "  We  know  that  no  two  trees  in  any 
orchard  are  alike,  either  in  the  amount  of  fruit  which  they  bear  or  in 
their  vigor  and  habit  of  growth.  Some  are  uniformly  productive  and 
some  are  uniformly  unproductive.  We  know,  too,  that  scions  or  buds 
tend  to  reproduce  the  characters  of  the  tree  from  which  they  are  taken. 
A  gardener  would  never  think  of  taking  cuttings  from  a  rose-bush,  or 
chrysanthemum,  or  a  carnation  which  does  not  bear  flowers.  Why 
should  a  fruit-grower  take  scions  from  a  tree  which  he  knows  to  be 
unprofitable  ? 

'  The  indiscriminate  cutting  of  scions  is  too  clumsy  and  inexact  a  prac- 
tice for  these  days,  when  we  are  trying  to  introduce  scientific  methods 
into  our  farming."* 

Long  ago  men  learned  that  two  cows  were  not  necessarily  alike  because 
they  were  both  Jerseys.  The  man  who  would  raise  cattle  from  any  indi- 
vidual merely  because  it  belonged  to  the  desired  breed  would  be  ridiculed. 
But  there  are  as  great  differences  between  Baldwin  apple-trees  as  there 
are  between  Jersey  cows. 

*L.  H.  Bailey,  Cornell  Bulletin  102,  Oct.,  1895. 

330 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      331 


[  ^^mmmmm^mfmmmmm^mmmi^^mmm^mmmm^^^^mmmHmm^^^i^mmmmm^^^mfmmmmmmmm^^^^mmmH^^  I 

FIG.  76. — The  old  "  mother  tree  "  from  which  all  of  Mr.  Smith's  trees  zvere  grafted. 
It  bears  excellent  apples  and  good  crops  of  them.  About  500  trees  have  been 
grafted  from  this  tree. 


i  '          .       m—~m"^^^— 

FIG.  77- — Trees  in  Mr.  Smith's  young  orchard.      Top-worked  with  scions  from 

the  "  mother  tree." 


332  BULLETIN  226. 

When  the  farmer  has  top-grafted  his  trees,  as  is  sometimes  done  for 
other  reasons,  there  has  probably  been  more  or  less  unconscious  selection 
from  good  trees.  Few  nurserymen  have  yet  paid  any  attention  to  the 
matter,  nor  are  they  likely  to  do  so  till  fruit-growers  are  willing  to  pay 
for  the  increased  work.* 

One  good  example  of  care  in  the  selection  of  scions  was  seen  in  Orleans 
county.  Fifty-three  years  ago  Mr.  Russell  Smith  of  Albion  grafted  one 
tree  to  Baldwin.  This  proved  to  be  so  exceptionally  productive  that  he 
grafted  some  of  the  other  trees  in  the  same  orchard  with  scions  from  it. 
A  few  years  later  another  orchard  of  three  acres  was  planted.  A  large 
part  of  these  trees  were  top-worked  to  Baldwin  with  scions  from  the 
original  tree.  In  1868  his  sons,  S.  W.  and  William  Smith,  decided  to 
plant  ten  acres  more.  They  bought  good  Northern  Spy  trees  for  stocks 
and  top-worked  them  to  Baldwin.  Most  farmers  would  have  taken  the 
scions  from  the  young  orchard  because  longer  and  better-looking  shoots 
could  have  been  obtained,  but  they  were  not  satisfied  to  do  this.  They 
went  to  the  original  "  mother  tree  "  for  all  the  scions.  This  mother  tree 
is  still  living  and  producing  apples.  "  It  is  literally  bearing  itself  to 
death."  (See  Fig.  76.)  The  orchards  grafted  from  it  are  all  producing 
large  crops.  (See  Fig.  77.)  Of  course  there  are  plenty  of  good  trees 
in  New  York  that  were  budded  or  grafted  with  scions  taken  from  young 
trees  or  that  were  taken  indiscriminately  from  old  trees,  just  as  there  are 
good  cattle  that  were  produced  without  any  care  in  breeding.  Some  good 
ones  will  certainly  be  secured  by  accident,  but  the  scientific  fruit-grower 
eliminates  all  accidents  so  far  as  possible.  He  increases  his  chances  for 
success  when  he  secures  good  nursery-grown  stock  and  top-works  it  from 
trees  of  bearing  age — trees  of  known  productiveness,  vigor  and  quality. 


*J.  H.  Teats  &  Sons,  of  Williamson,  are  growing  "  pedigreed  "  peach  trees.  They 
have  several  good  orchards,  but  have  only  a  few  trees  that  they  consider  good  enough 
to  bud  from.  Such  a  tree  must  be  hardy,  it  must  bear  the  best  peaches  and  plenty 
of  them.  They  find  that  the  public  is  willing  to  pay  more  for  these  trees  than  for 
trees  where  no  selection  has  been  practiced. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
ENEMIES  OF  THE  APPLE. 

The  more  serious  enemies. — The  codlin-moth  and  the  scab  fungus 
are  the  most  serious  enemies  of  the  apple  in  Western  New  York.  The 
scab  is  not  so  injurious  if  the  apples  are  to  be  evaporated,  but  it  probably 
causes  more  loss  than  any  other  enemy  when  apples  are  to  be  barreled. 
It  was  very  destructive  in  1902,  was  of  small  importance  in  1903,  and  was 
very  prevalent  in  1904. 

Of  the  insects  that  attack  the  tree,  the  canker-worm  (commonly  called 
"  army  worm  ")  has  done  the  most  damage,  but  it  is  now  practically  sub- 
dued. Probably  the  wood-rot  fungi  have  done  more  to  shorten  the  lives 
of  the  trees  than  any  other  enemy.  These  gain  entrance  through  wounds 
and  rot  out  the  trunk  so  that  the  trees  eventually  break  down.  (See 
pruning,  Chap.  IV.)  Canker  of  the  limbs  has  done  much  damage  and 
has  killed  a  number  of  entire  orchards.  (See  page  341.)  The  collar  rot, 
"  King  disease,"  or  "  winter  injury,"  as  it  is  variously  designated,  is  the 
worst  enemy  of  King  and  Spitzenburg  varieties.  It  is  not  so  serious 
with  other  varieties.  (See  page  345.) 

In  addition  to  these  there  are  many  kinds  of  insects  and  diseases  that 
do  a  small  amount  of  damage  every  year.  In  their  ups-and-downs  some- 
times one  and  sometimes  another  becomes  serious.  The  bud-moth  prob- 
ably did  as  much  damage  as  any  other  insect  in  1903.  Aphids  were  the 
worst  enemy  of  young  trees  and  caused  considerable  damage  in  old 
orchards.  They  were  worse  on  thrifty  trees  than  on  slow-growing  ones. 
The  best  orchardists  therefore  suffered  the  most  loss  from  them.  The 
apple  bucculatrix,  or  ribbed  cocoon-maker  of  the  apple,  the  apple  weevil 
and  the  mites  each  did  considerable  damage  in  a  few  orchards.  Table  36 
indicates  something  of  the  relative  importance  of  the  various  enemies 
in  1903. 

TABLE  36. 

Insect  and  fungous  enemies  of  the  apple  in  1903. 

Injury.  No.  orchards.  No.  acres. 

Canker  (Sphaeropsis  malorum) serious  87  526^ 

considerable  83  729^ 

Bud-moth   (Tmetocera  ocellana) serious  45  590^4 

considerable  37  221 

slight  148  614*4 

Codlin-moth  (Carpocapsa  pomonella) serious  61  333^2 

considerable  45  631 

slight  all  bearing  orchards 


334 


BULLETIN  226. 


Apple  bucculatrix  (Bucculatrix  pomifoliella) 


TABLE  36 — Concluded. 

Injury. 

Collar  rot considerable 

slight 

Aphis  (Aphis  pomi} serious 

considerable 
slight 

Scab    (  Venturia  inaequalis) serious 

considerable 
slight 

Apple-weevil   (Anthonomus  quadrigibbus) serious 

considerable 
slight 

serious 

considerable 
slight 

Canker  on  leaves  (Sphaeropsis  malorum) serious 

considerable 
slight 

Leaf-blister  mites serious 

considerable 
slight 

Leaf  spot  (Phyllosticta  sp.) serious 

considerable 
slight 

Leaf  sewer  (Phoxopteris  nebeculana) serious 

considerable 
slight. 

Canker-worm   (Paleacrita  vernata) serious 

considerable 
slight 

Tent  caterpillar  (Clisiocampa  americana) serious 

considerable 
slight 

Woolly  aphis  (Schizoneura  lanigera} serious 

considerable 
slight 

Fall  web  worm  (Hyphantria  cunea} serious 

considerable 
slight 

San  Jose  scale  (Aspidiotus  penriciosus} serious 

considerable 
,      slight 


No.  orchards.       No.  acres. 

31  212 

nearly  all  old  orchards 

55  458 
44                  324^ 

all  orchards 
66  424l/2 

68  440 

all  bearing  orchards 
13  87^ 

13  79l/2 

28  182 

7  73 

9  156^2 
all  old  orchards 

4  94 

3  67 
i  4 

4  25/2 
6  34 

56  372^4 

5  44 

9  383/2 

nearly  all  orchards 


4 
7 

33 
3 
3 
3 

I 
2 

36 

2 

4 


43 
104 
719 

21 


10 


146^-2 

6 
22 

nearly  all  orchards 
o  o 

2  3l/2 

27  479^ 

0  o 

1  4 

I  2 


This  table  includes  all  the  enemies  that  were  found  to  be  serious  in  any  orchard, 
except  borers  and  the  wood-rot  fungi.  Many  other  insects  and  fungi  were  seen  but 
were  not  doing  any  considerable  harm. 

Common  notions  regarding  orchard  enemies. — It  is  interesting  to  note 
the  enemies  that  have  impressed  themselves  on  the  minds  of  the  orchard- 
ists.  In  answer  to  the  question  as  to  what  insects  or  diseases  had  damaged 
the  orchard  in  the  past,  the  canker-worm  was  mentioned  for  173  orchards, 
scab  for  120,  tent-caterpillars  for  112;  codlin-moth  came  fourth.  No 
other  enemy  was  mentioned  more  than  five  times.  Among  those  men- 
tioned were  canker,  borers,  San  Jose  scale,  pink  rot,  case-bearers,  collar 
rot,  leaf-roller,  oyster-shell  bark  louse,  aphids,  handmaid  moth,  curculio, 
palmer-worm.  Losses  due  to  mice,  sun  scald  and  russeting  of  the  fruit 
were  also  mentioned. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      335 

THE  APPLE-SCAB  FUNGUS   (Venturia  inaequalis). 

Importance  of  this  disease. — The  worst  disease  with  which  the  apple- 
grower  has  to  contend  is  the  apple-scab,  commonly  called  "  the 
fungus."  More  questions  are  asked  about  it  than  about  any  other 
enemy  of  the  apple,  and  there  is  great  difference  of  opinion  among 
farmers  as  to  what  it  is  and  what  to  do  about  it.  True,  spraying  has 
become  an  accepted  practice  and  the  best  fruit-growers  practically 
eliminate  the  scab,  but  the  majority  of  farmers  do  not  do  so.  The 
varying  opinions  are  due  to  the  fact  that  the  fungus  is  invisible  or 
inconspicuous  until  it  "  goes  to  seed."  A  knowledge  of  its  life  history 
is  essential  to  any  intelligent  treatment  of  it.  It  has  been  frequently 
described,  but  the  information  is 
not  yet  sufficiently  disseminated. 
I  shall,  therefore,  attempt  to  answer 
some  of  the  common  questions  that 
are  asked  about  it.  A  few  ques- 
tions are  asked  over  and  over  again. 
"What  is  the  fungus?"  "What 
causes  it  ?  "  "  Why  is  it  worse  in 
wet  seasons?"  "Why  are  some 
varieties  more  affected  than  others?" 

What  is  the  scab  fungus? — "This 
apple-scab  is  no  new  pest.     It  has 
no    doubt    been    seriously    present     FlG   7&_Young  appies  severeiy  attacked 
ever   since  apples    were   grown   in  by  the  scab  fungus. 

the    country,    causing    many    fail- 
ures of  crops  which   were  laid  to  the  weather  or  the   moon."* 

This  fungus  is  a  very  small  plant  that  grows  as  a  parasite  on  the 
leaves  and  on  the  apple,— the  apple  is  its  soil.  We  might  say  that  it 
is  a  weed  that  grows  on  the  apple  and  allied  fruits  rather  than  on  the 
ground.  It  lives  over  winter  on  the  fallen  leaves  and  perhaps  to  a  very 
limited  extent  on  the  branches.  "  Scab  makes  its  first  appearance  early 
in  the  spring,  usually  soon  after  the  leaves  begin  to  unfold,  and  it  is 
while  these  and  the  fruit  are  in  a  young  condition  that  the  fungus 
can  best  infect  them."f  (See  Fig.  78.)  The  seed  (spore)  falls  on  the 


*L.  H.  Bailey  in  Cornell  Bulletin  84,  Jan.,  1895. 

fGeorge  P.  Clinton,  Bui.  67,  Univ.  of  111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Dec.,  1901. 


336 


BULLETIN  226. 


young    apple   or    on    the    leaf    and    there    grows,    sending    its    roots 
(mycelium)    into  the  tissues  of  the   apple.     At  first  the  infected   spot 


is  invisible,  later 
it  causes  the  skin 
to  take  on  a  deep 
olive-green  color, 
dom  noticed  until 
season  when  it 
the  skin  and 
scab.  Fig.  79 
apple  that  has 
this  stage.  The 
the  apple  is 

the     FlG'  79- — The  outer  skin  (cuticle]  ruptured. 


exposing   the  funsus 


\ 


but  it  is  sel- 
still  later  in  the 
breaks  through 
causes  the  black 
shows  an 
just  reached 
outer  skin  of 
breaking  away 
black  fungus, 
"gone  to 


exposing 

1-1      i 
which    has    now 

seed."     In  time  the  spores  are  blown  and  washed  away  and  some  of  the 
fungus  cells  and  dead  tissue  are  more  or  less  worn  away  so  that  the  color 

may  become  a  reddish-brown, 
due  to  the  exposed  dead  corky 
tissue.  The  scab  spots  on  the 
left  in  Fig.  80  show  the  spores 
and  fungus  cells  beginning  to 
leave  from  the  center  of  the 
spot.  The  large  scab  on  the 
right  shows  the  rusty  scar  that 
is  left  after  the  disease  tissue 
has  scaled  off.  Farmers  describe 
this  change  by  saying  that  "  the 
fungus  leaves  the  apple,"  or 
"  the  fungus  changes  to  rust." 
If  this  takes  place  before  the 


FIG.  80. — The  diseased  tissue  scaling  off  from 
the  apple. 


apple  is  picked,  the  appearance 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      337 

and  keeping  quality  are  not  so  seriously  affected  as  when  picked  in  the 
stage  shown  in  Fig.  79,  but  the  fungus  may  make  some  further  growth 
around  the  edge  of  the  scar  if  put  in  warm  storage. 

Fig.  81  shows  a  Baldwin  apple  so  badly  attacked  that  it  has  become 
distorted  and  cracked.  Most  cases  of  cracking  of  the  apple  are  due 
to  this  fungus. 

Fig.  82  shows  three  sections  of  apple-leaves.  "  In  Fig.  I  the  leaf  is 
healthy.  Observe  the  regularity  of  the  three  upper  layers  of  cells.  In 
Fig.  2,  the  brown  fungus  may  be  seen  growing  on  the  upper  surface, 
and  at  this  stage  it  has 
destroyed  the  upper  or 
epidermal  cells,  although 
it  is  probable  that  the 
mycelium  of  the  fungus 
first  spreads  just  under 
the  cuticle,  on  top  of  the 
layer  of  epidermal  cells. 
Fig.  3  shows  the  fungus 
when  it  is  better  estab- 
lished, and  it  will  be  seen 
that  all  the  cells  of  the 
leaf  are  disarranged,  the 
chlorophyll  or  green 
grains  being  few  in 
number,  and  the  leaf  has 
increased  in  thickness. 


FIG.  81. — Baldwin  apple  showing  cracking  due  to  the 
fungus. 


This,  Fig.  3,  is  a  cross-section  through  one  of  the  blister-like  elevations 
which  are  shown  on  the  leaf  in  Fig.  83.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  fungus 
does  not  enter  the  deeper  tissues  of  the  leaf,  although  it  disorganizes 
them  by  its  parasitic  effects.  In  Fig.  3,  a  spore  can  be  seen  at  A,  and 
two  are  shown  broken  off  their  stem  or  hyphae  at  B.  In  Fig.  2  the  spores 
can  be  seen  in  process  of  formation  at  the  ends  of  the  threads,  and  at  C 
one  of  the  threads  is  cut  off."* 

Relation  of  the  weather  to  the  scab  fungus. — Nearly  all  fungi  are  fav- 
ored by  wet  weather;  wheat  rust,  bean  rust,  potato  blight,  etc.,  are  all 
worse  in  wet  seasons.  The  wet  weather  does  not  create  any  fungus 


*L.  H.  Bailey  in  Cornell  Bulletin  84,  Jan.,  1895. 


338 


BULLETIN  226. 


any  more  than  favorable  weather  creates  a  corn  crop.  A  fungus  can- 
not develop  unless  the  spores  get  on  the  host  plant  any  more  than  a 
corn  crop  can  be  grown  without  planting  the  seed.  But  there  are  usually 
plenty  of  spores  on  hand  so  that  all  they  need  is  weather  favorable  to 
their  growth.  Unusually  wet  weather  during  the  blossoming  period 
favors  the  growth  of  the  scab  fungus.  For  the  same  reason  it  does 
more  damage  in  shady,  unpruned  and  undrained  orchards.'  Dense 
tops  prevent  the  evaporation  of  the  moisture.  Open  tops  allow  the 
air  to  circulate  freely,  and  they  therefore  quickly  dry  out  after  a 
rain  or  dew. 

Some  varieties  arc  more  affected  than  others. — The  Snow,  Spitzenburg 

and  Maiden  Blush 
are  particularly  sub- 
ject to  scab.  The 
Greening  and  Twenty 
Ounce  are  more  af- 
fected than  the  Bald- 
win. Golden  Russet 
and  Hubbardston  are 
among  the  more 
resistant  varieties. 
The  difference  is 
probably  due  to  the 
more  tender  outer 
skins  of  some  vari- 
eties. The  fungus 
must  penetrate  the 
outer  skin  before  it  can  do  any  damage.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
while  the  Greening  apples  are  much  more  affected  than  the  Baldwin,  yet 
the  Baldwin  foliage  is  very  much  more  affected  than  that  of  the  Greening. 
Relation  to  other  fungi. — The  scab  fungus  is  often  confused  with  other 
fungi  that  secure  a  foothold  in  the  wounds  caused  by  the  scab..  Part 
of  this  confusion  is  doubtless  due  to  the  fact  that  the  scab  is  almost 
always  called  "  the  fungus."  It  would  be  well  if  farmers  would  call 
it  the  apple-scab,  in  order  to  distinguish  it  from  -the  hundreds  of  other 
fungi.  The  scab  fungus  causes  the  dark  spots  on  the  apple  that  may 
later  change  to  rusty  spots.  It  is  never  white.  The  white  moulds  that 
sometimes  grow  on  these  same  spots  are  other  fungi  that  could  not  have 


cl 


FIG.  82. — Cross-sections  of  apple  leaves,  i.  Healthy  leaf. 
2,  The  upper  surface  attacked  by  the  scab  fungus.  5. 
A  later  stage  in  the  growth  of  the  fungus. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      339 


FIG.  84. — Leaf  spots  probably  caused 
by  Phyllosticta  sf>. 


hurt  the  apple  had  the  skin  not  been 

broken  by  the  scab  or  by  some  injury. 

One  of  these,  the  pink  rot,  caused  much 

damage  in  1902.* 

Treatment. — A  sufficient  number  of 

thorough  sprayings  with  the  Bordeaux 

mixture    will    keep    the    apples    prac- 
tically  free   from   scab.     The   essential 

points   are  thoroughness   and   prompt- 
ness.    Spraying  after  the  scab  becomes 

established  does  little  or  no  good.    Some 

men   have    been   surprised    to   see    the 

scab    develop    under   spots    where    the 

spray    was    still    visible.     This    simply 

means  that  the  spraying  was  too  late — 

the  fungus  was  already  in  the  apple. 
Since  the  spores'  do  not  all  germinate 

at  once,  we  should  not  expect  one  appli- 
cation of  Bordeaux  to  keep  off  all  the 
scab  any  more  than  we  would  expect  one 
cultivation  of  a  corn  crop  to  kill  all  the 
pigweeds.  One  application  if  made  at 
the  right  time  will,  however,  frequently 
make  a  great  difference.  Three  spray- 
ings at  the  right  times  will  nearly  always 
keep  the  apples  free  from  scab.  Two 
will  sometimes  do  so.  A  further  dis- 
cussion of  the  method  of  summer  treat- 
ment and  of  winter  treatment  will  be 
found  under  spraying.  (Pages  392 
to  3940 

Leaf  spots  caused  by  the  scab  fungus. — 
Fig.  83  shows  the  large  blister-like  eleva- 
tions caused  by  the  scab.  These  spots 
usually  occur  on  the  upper  surface,  but 
are  not  confined  to  that  surface.  Late  in 
the  season  they  are  nearly  black,  the  color 


FIG.  83. — The  scab  fungus  on  the 
leaf. 


'Cornell  Bulletin  207. 


340 


BULLETIN  226. 


of  the  scab  on  the  apple.  Scab  did  considerable  damage  to  the  foliage  in 
unsprayed  orchards  in  1904. 

Leaf  spots  caused  by  other  diseases. — Fig.  84  shows  the  spots  caused 
by  a  different  fungus,  probably  Phyllosticta.  These  spots  are  of  a  reddish- 
brown  color.  They  do  not  blister  the  leaf.  This  fungus  did  little 
damage  in  1903,  but  in  the  wet  season  of  1904  it  caused  much  damage 
to  the  leaves.  Spraying  seems  to  have  had  little  or  no  effect  in  checking 
this  disease. 

The  so-called  "  yellow  leaf  "  that  caused  the  leaves  to  fall  during  July 
and  August  was  partly  due  to  this  trouble  and  partly  due  to  wet 
soil.  Many  orchards  that  are  ordi- 
narily well  drained  were  wet  this 
year.  (See  Fig.  74.)  Those  that 
are  ordinarily  too  wet  were  very 
bad  in  1904.  The  leaf  spot  was 
generally  much  worse  in  the  poorly 
drained  orchards.  In  some  orchards 
the  scab  on  the  leaf  and  the  mites 
also  caused  leaves  to  fall. 

Leaf-blister  mite. — Fig.  85  shows 
the  under  side  of  a  leaf  infested 
with  the  blister  mite.  This  had  not 
been  reported  as  occurring  on  the 
apple  until  it  was  found  during  the 
orchard  survey  in  Wayne  county. 
Specimens  were  sent  to  Professor 
Slingerland,  who  wrote  as  follows 

FIG.  85.— Under  side  of  leaf,  showing  leaf    concerning  them :   "  The  pear-leaf- 

blisters  caused  by  mites.  ... 

blister   mite   is   now  a   well-known 

pest  in  many  sections  of  the  country,  but  never  before  until  last  summer 
had  we  seen  or  heard  of  a  similar  pest  in  apple-leaves.  Scattered  through 
central  New  York  there  were  many  apple-trees  with  many  of  their  leaves 
showing  the  corky  blisters  characteristic  of  these  mites.  We  have  not 
yet  made  a  careful  study  of  the  mites  to  determine  if  they  are  the  same 
as  the  pear  species.  The  blisters  in  the  apple-leaves  differ  slightly  from 
those  in  pear,  but  this  may  be  due  to  the  different  food-plants."*  These 
mites  were  found  in  53  orchards  in  1903  and  were  found  in  many  orchards 


*Bulletin  46.     Division   of  Entomology,  U.   S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      341 

in  Orleans  county  in  1904.  They  were  not  very  bad  in  more  than  a  half 
dozen  orchards  in  each  county,  hut  in  a  few  orchards  some  trees  had  prac- 
tically every  leaf  affected.  Their  local  distribution  even  in  the  severe 
cases  seems  to  indicate  that  they  do  not  spread  rapidly.  The  ordinary 
spraying  has  no  effect  on  them,  because  they  live  within  the  leaf  where 
poison  can  not  reach  them.  It  is  probable  that  kerosene  emulsion  applied 
before  the  buds  open  would  kill  them. 

Injuries  due  to  these  three  causes  and  to  many  other  enemies  that 
attack  the  leaves  are  quite  commonly  confused  with  each  other  and  with 
spots  that  are  sometimes  caused  by  spraying". 

THE  APPLE-TREE  CANKER   (Sphacropsis  malornm  Pk.). 

Description. — The  black,  rough  bark  and  partially  girdled  limbs  are  so 
characteristic  of  this  disease  that  it  is  easily  recognized.  (See  Fig.  86.) 
The  diseased  part  may  extend  for  several  feet  along  the  branch,  or  may 
be  only  a  small  spot.  Usually  it  is  five  to  ten  inches  long.  The  bark 
may  be  merely  roughened  and  black  (as  in  B,  Fig.  86)  or  the  limb  may 
be  partially  girdled  (as  in  A,  Fig.  86).  In  the  worst  cases  the  dead  limbs 
stick  out  all  over  the  tree-top.  (See  Fig.  87.) 

Extent  of  the  injury. — The  canker  causes  more  loss  than  any  other 
disease  except  the  scab  fungus  and,  possibly,  the  fungi  that  cause  the 
trunks  to  decay  when  improperly  pruned.  It  was  found  to  be  very  serious 
in  14  per  cent  of  the  orchards  and  was  do-ing  considerable  damage  in 
19  per  cent.  Injuries  of  this  character  are  less  conspicuous  but  are  much 
more  serious  than  those  that  affect  the  leaves — canker  attacks  the  tree 
directly.  It  does  not  often  do  much  damage  on  young  trees.  It  usually 
occurs  on  limbs  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  but  sometimes  attacks 
the  twigs  or  larger  limbs.  It  very  rarely  occurs  on  the  trunks,  except 
on  the  Twenty  Ounce.  This  variety  is  particularly  subject  to  the  disease. 
I  have  seen  very  few  mature  Twenty  Ounce  trees  that  were  not  badly 
infected.  It  is  also  serious  on  the  Spitzenburg.  The  Baldwin  is  more 
affected  than  the  Greening,  Russet,  King  or  Northern  Spy. 

The  same  fungus  occurs  on  the  leaves,  but  does  not  seem  to  be  serious. 
In  Wayne  county  in  1903  it  was  found  on  the  leaves  in  eight  orchards 
and  was  doing  considerable  damage  in  seven  of  them.  It  was  not  found 
on  the  foliage  of  any  orchard  examined  in  1904.  On  the  leaf  it  shows 
a  distinct  series  of  concentric  circles.  One  infected  point  may  develop 


342 


BULLETIN  226. 


FIG.  86. — Canker  of  the  apple-tree.    In  B  only  the  outer  bark  is  affected.    A 
shoivs  the  branch  half  girdled. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      343 


344  BULLETIN  226. 

to  nearly  half  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  brown  rot  of  stored  apples  is 
also  due  to  the  same  fungus. 

Cause. — The  cause  was  not  known  until  about  six  years  ago,  when  it 
was  worked  out  by  Wendell  Paddock  of  the  Geneva  station.*  Until  that 
time  it  was  commonly  attributed  to  sun-scald.  Comparatively  few  fruit- 
growers are  yet  informed  of  the  real  cause.  It  is  still  attributed  to  sun- 
scald  or  lightning,  or  passes  as  "  dead  limbs  "  without  any  cause.  Prac- 
tically no  sun-scald  has  been  seen  in  either  of  the  counties  studied. 

Mr.  Paddock  found  that  the  canker  is  caused  by  a  fungus  that  grows 
on  the  bark  and  cambiumf  layer  of  the  tree.  The  black  color  of  the 
canker  is  partly  due  to  the  spore-fruits  of  the  fungus.  Many  of  the 
spores  (seeds)  remain  on  the  branches  till  spring  or  longer,  when  they 
are  given  off  and  disseminated.  The  fungus  seems  to  be  unable  to  pene- 
trate to  the  cambium  layer  through  living  bark.  The  cankers  are  thought 
to  be  formed  by  those  spores  that  chance  to  fall  in  some  slight  wound 
and  there  germinate  and  produce  more  cankers.  Sometimes  the.  fungus 
grows  for  some  distance  on  the  outer  bark  without  penetrating  to  the 
cambium.  (See  B,  Fig.  86.)  In  such  cases  no  direct  injury  is  done  to 
the  tree,  but  spores  are  produced  and  disseminated  so  that  a  constant 
source  of  infection  is  maintained. 

Treatment. — With  the  exception  of  the  Twenty  Ounce,  no  orchard  in 
which  the  trees  have  always  been  kept  in  a  good  growing  condition  has 
been  found  to  be  seriously  affected.  Something  more  than  thrifty  growth 
seems  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  Twenty 
Ounce. 

A  few  farmers  in  Wayne  county  and  more  in  Orleans  county  have  been 
treating  the  disease  during  the  past  few  years  and  have  had  excellent 
results.  The  essential  points  of  the  treatment  are : 

(1)  Prune  out  the  limbs  that  are  badly  diseased. 

(2)  Spray  the  limbs  with  Bordeaux  mixture. 

(3)  Most  important  of  all,  get  the  trees  to  growing. 

Mr.  G.  D.  Simpson  of  Carlton  has  carried  the  treatment  a  step  farther. 
When  pruning  he  scraped  off  the  rough,  diseased  bark  around  each 
canker  and  gave  a  generous  application  of  strong  blue  vitriol.  This  was 
undoubtedly  a  good  thing,  but  the  treatment  given  above  seems  to  be 
invariably  successful. 

*New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  Bulletin  163,  Dec.,  1899. 
fThe  cambium  layer  is  a  tissue  that  lies  between  the  wood  and  the  bark.     It  is  the 
tissue  that  produces  the  new  wood  and  inner  bark. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      345 


Mr.  Albert  Wood  of  Carlton  Station  has  even  grown  new  tops  on  his 
Twenty  Ounce  trees  and  has  kept  the  new  growth  from  becoming 
diseased  by  spraying  the  limbs  and  by  keeping  the  trees  growing.  This 
variety  is  so  subject  to  canker  that  it  can  not  be  kept  healthy  without 
constant  vigilance. 

COLLAR  ROT. 

Occurrence  and  de- 
scription.—  In  nearly 
every  mature  orchard 
one  comes  across  some 
trees  on  which  the  bark 
around  the  base  is  dead 
and  loose,  or  has  fallen 
away.  The  injury  usu- 
ally extends  only  6  to  18 
inches  above  the  ground, 
but  sometimes  it  ex- 
tends 3  to  4  feet  up  the 
trunk.  As  the  area  of 
dead  bark  increases,  the 
tree  may  be  entirely 
girdled.  (See  Fig.  88.) 
It  is  quite  commonly 
attributed  to  the  hired 
man  having  hit  the  tree 
with  the  machinery  when 
working  in  the  orchard, 
and  the  injury  does  re- 
semble a  wound  made 
by  hitting  the  trunk  at 
the  surface  of  the 
ground.  But  before  the  blame  can  be  fixed  on  the  hired  man  we  must 
explain  how  he  happened  to  hit  all  the  King  and  Spitzenburg  trees  and 
missed  most  of  the  Baldwins  and  Greenings,  also  why  the  disease  is  as 
bad  or  worse  in  those  orchards  that  have  not  been  tilled. 

This  disease  is  the  worst  enemy  of  the  King  apple.  It  has  sometimes 
been  called  the  "  King  disease."*  Probably  the  majority  of  all  the  trees 


FIG.  88. — A  Baldwin  tree  killed  by  collar  rot.  Note 
the  spot  at  base  of  tree.  In  this  twenty-acre 
orchard  about  one-third  of  the  trees  are  dead  and 
one-third  more  are  badly  affected.  In  this  case  the 
very  poor  drainage  has  been  largely  responsible. 


^Bulletin  191.     N.  Y.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta. 


346 


BULLETIN  226. 


FIG.  89.— Collar  rot  of  the  King,  showing 
diseased  and  cracked  condition  of 
bark. 

decay  and  frequently  girdle  the 
tree. 

Treatment. — Little  can  be  done 
except  to  treat  the  wound  as  any 
other  wound  should  be  treated.  If 
the  dead  bark  is  cleaned  away  and 
paint  applied,  it  will  delay  the 
decay  of  the  wood.  In  some  cases 
this  has  preserved  the  wood  and 
the  wound  has  healed  over. 

The  effective  treatment  must  be 
prevention.  If  hardy  stocks  are 
planted  and  top-worked  to  King  or 
Esopus  Spitzenburg,  the  trouble  is 
avoided.  (See  Fig.  92.)  The  losses 
of  Baldwin  from  this  disease  are 
not  very  great,  but  are  enough  so 
that  it  might  pay  to  top-work  them 


of  this  variety  that  are  thirty  years 
old  are  affected.  It  is  nearly  as 
serious  on  the  Spitzenburg.  The 
Baldwin  is  more  affected  than  the 
Spy,  Greening  or  Russets,  but  none 
of  these  are  as  badly  affected  as  are 
the  King  and  Spitzenburg.  It 
seems  to  be  worse  on  poorly  drained 
land  than  on  good  soil. 

Cause. — The  cause  is  not  defi- 
nitely known.  It  is  probably  some- 
times due  to  winter  injury,  but  this 
does  not  seem  to  account  for  it  in 
all  cases.  Whatever  the  original 
cause,  the  wound  once  made  be- 
comes infected  by  the  wood-rot 
fungi,  which  cause  the  trunk  to 


FIG.  go.— Collar  rot  of  the  King.  The 
same  tree  as  in  Fig.  89  with  the  dead 
bark  removed. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      347 

also  on  some  hardier  stock,  as  the  Spy.  When  we  add  to  this  the  desira- 
bility of  each  grower  selecting  his  own  scions  from  productive  trees,  it 
will  probably  be  well  worth  while  to  top-bud  or  graft. 

The  planting  of  the  King  has  almost  ceased  on  account  of  prevalence 
of  this  disease.  But  it  furnishes  no  reason  whatever  for  abandoning 
this  excellent  apple.  In  the  many  cases  where  the  Kings  were  top- 


FIG.  gi.—A  row  of  Kings,  all  affected  with  collar  rot.    Dying  gradually  but  surely. 


grafted,  as  suggested  above,  there  has  been  no  appearance  of  the 
trouble,  or  no  more  trouble  than  was  usual  for  the  variety  of  stock 
on  which  it  was  grafted.  In  view  of  these  facts,  it  seems  fair  to  say  that 
no-  King  or  Esopus  Spitzenburg  tree  'propagated  in  the  ordinary  way 
should  be  set  in  Western  New  York.  If  these  varieties  are  desired, 
secure  them  by  top-grafting  on  some  hardy  stock. 


348 


BULLETIN  226. 


FIG.  92. — Collar  rot  avoided  by  top-working  on  Spy  stock. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
YIELDS,  MARKETS  AND  PRICES. 

Average  yields. — The  following  tables  give  some  of  the  chief  points  in 
the  average  yields : 

TABLE  37. 
Approximatettotal  yield  for  entire  county. 


1899  (U.  S.  Census  report) 

1900 

1901  

1902 


Bushels. 
1,394,000 
4,872,000 

672,000 
4,053,000 


TABLE  38. 
Average  yield  per  acre. 


TREES  SET  BEFORE  1880. 

TREES  SET  SINCE  1879. 

AVERAGE. 

No.   or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

No.   or- 
chards. 

Acres.    . 

Average 
yield 

No.  or- 
chards. 

Acres. 

Average 
yield. 

1  899* 

"iS 

25 

190 
240 

333 

19,000 
I,686# 

2,28l%' 

3,067^ 

73 
229 

265 

1900  
1901  
1902  

171 

1,496%: 
2,041%: 

2,  734X 

252 
34 

222 

46 
22 

74 

189 
3'8 

416 
20O 

*The  yield  for  1899  is  for  "  trees  of  bearing  age  "  and  is  taken  from  the  census 
report. 

fThe  average  yield  for  1903  is  too  large  for  it  does  not  include  young  trees  nor 
does  it  include  orchards  that  gave  no  yield. 


TABLE  39. 
Average  yield  per  tree. 


Trees  set  before  1880. 

1899  (trees  of  bearing  age) 

1900  

1901 

1902 


Bushels. 

1-75 

5-78 

.78 

5-01 


Average 


3-33 


This  calculation  is  for  the  number  of  trees  that  the  orchards  would  contain  if 
there  were  no  trees  missing. 

319 


350 


BULLETIN  226. 


TABLE  40. 

Average  number  of  bushels  raised  by  each  grower  in  Wakvorth. 

Bushels. 

1900 1,700 

IQOI 210 

I9O2 T,200 

The  three-year-average  yield  in  Wai  worth  township  is  about  thirty-four  bushels 
above  that  of  the  entire  county.  This  difference  is  due  to  the  poorer  care  given  in 
the  remainder  of  the  county,  particularly  in  the  southern  part. 

TABLE  41.         • 

Variations  in  yields  of  orchards. 

The  following  table  will  give  some  idea  of  the  distribution  of  yields  that  produced 
the  averages  in  1902,  trees  set  before  1880. 


YIELD. 

WALWORTH. 

REMAINDER  OF  COUNTY. 

ENTIRE  COUNTY. 

No. 

orchards. 

No.  acres. 

No. 

orchards. 

No.  acres. 

No. 
orchards. 

Xo.  acres. 

o-ioo  bushels  

36 

75 

1 

31 

mi# 
301  # 

312^ 
30i 
67^ 
85 

17 

g 

II 

5 

5 

386^ 
417^ 
344  /^ 
194 

55 
53 

53 

102 
103 

57 
3i 
36 

578 

779 

657X 
495 

l22l/2 
138 

101-200  bushels  

201-300  bushels  

301-400  bushels  

401-500  bushels  

Over  500  bushels  

The  largest  yield  reported  for  the  year  1902  was   1,000  bushels  per  acre  from  a 
four-acre  orchard. 


Markets — the  evaporating  industry. — The  orchard  industry  of  this 
county  cannot  be  understood  without  a  knowledge  of  the  evaporating 
industry.  How  predominant  this  industry  is  can  be  seen  by  r  herring 
to  table  42.  The  proportion  of  apples  evaporated  varies  from  year  to 
year,  being  influenced  by  the  quality  of  the  fruit  and  the  relative  prices  of 
green  and  dried  apples.  Probably  seventy-five  per  cent  of  all  the  apples 
raised  in  this  county  during  the  past  four  years  has  been  evaporated. 
A  little  less  than  half  the  evaporated  fruit  was  evaporated  by  the  man 
who  grew  it.  That  which  is  sold  usually  goes  to  some  farmer's 
evaporator.  The  evaporators  are  almost  as  characteristic  of  the  farm- 
yards as  are  the  barns.  They  also  occur  in  all  of  the  villages,  but  the 
largest  part  of  the  evaporating  is  done  on  the  farms.  The  industry 
is  a  rural  one  and  seems  likely  to  remain  such  for  some  years. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      351 


TABLE  42. 
What  becomes  of  the  apple  crop. 


HOW  DISPOSED  OF. 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

1903. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 

cent. 

Evaporated  by  the 
grower  

90,  650 
92,641 

88,178 

6,000 

33 
33 

32 
2 

12,175 
14,094 
9,933 

18,600 

22 
26 

18 
34 

191,480 
213,643 

73,  ooo 

107,830 
7,950 

32 
36 

12 

18 

2 

I  60,  840 

134,319 
139,085 

37 
31 
32 

Sold  to  be  evapo- 
rated 

Picked    and   sold   in 
barrels  or  in  bulk.. 
Part    evaporated    or 
sold   to    evaporate 
and  part   barreled, 
the  proportion  not 
given 

Otherwise  disposed 
of  .  .  .... 

5,392 

I 

If  we  apportion  the  yield  that  was  partly  barreled  and  partly  evaporated  then  the 
percentage  of  the  crop  evaporated  would  be  about  as  follows :  1900,  85  per  cent ; 
1901,  60  per  cent;  1902,  75  per  cent;  1903,  68  per  cent. 

TABLE  43. 

Orchards  from  ivhich  the  entire  crop  was  evaporated  or  sold  to  evaporate — none 

were  hand-picked. 


YEAR. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

No.  bushels. 

Per  cent 

of  the 
total  yield. 

1900  

104 

c26^ 

T  c  T    700 

C7 

1901  

41 

^2Q1A 

17  060 

•3J 

1902  

288 

i6^7JA 

^16  080 

AC 

locn 

T  T  •} 

;8^ 

147   87O 

•I  A 

o4 

In  many  cases  the  fact  that  the  women  and  children  of  the  household 
can  help  in  the  work,  so  reduces  the  expense  that  the  small  evaporator 
can  successfully  compete  with  the  larger  ones. 

The  evaporating  industry  furnishes  a  good  outlet  for  fruit  that  is 
not  good  enough  to  barrel.  It  should  be  encouraged  by  every  possible 
means.  The  ease  of  preserving  and  the  small  space  into  which  a  bushel 
of  apples  can  be  condensed  make  this  a  very  desirable  way  of  reaching 
the  cheaper  trade  in  Europe  and  Asia  as  well  as  in  our  own  cities. 


352 


BULLETIN  226. 


A  good  harvest.     Barreled  and  ready  for  storing. 


Hauling  to  the  depot. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      353 

The  dried  apples  occupy  only  about  one-seventh  of  the  space  occupied  by 
the  green  apples  from  which  they  came.  This  makes  a  great  saving  in 
the  cost  of  transportation.  The  Government  can  be  of  great  assistance  in 
helping  to  develop  these  markets.  There  should  be  a  good  future  for  the 
evaporating  industry. 

But  in  order  to  secure  and  retain  this  trade  the  evaporator  men  must 
furnish  a  product  that  will  keep.  One  of  the  reasons  for  the  present  low 
price  is  undoubtedly  the  result  of  marketing  what  has  been  aptly  termed 
"  apple  sauce."  The  stock  is  not  dried  sufficiently  to  keep  well.  One 
reliable  firm  evaporated  52,000  bushels  in  1903,  which  averaged  6.29  Ibs. 
of  dried  stock  per  bushel.  Their  average  in  1902  was  6.85  Ibs.  The 
average  of  a  number  of  small  evaporators  in  1903  was  7.45  Ibs. 

The  number  of  pounds  dried  stock  that  a  bushel  will  give  varies 
greatly  with  the  variety  of  the  apple.  Winter  varieties  average  from 
one-fifth  to  one-seventh  above  the  fall  varieties.  Russets  give  a  larger 
product  than  Greening  or  Baldwin.  Ben  Davis  and  Twenty  Ounce  give 
less  than  these.  The  amount  is  said  to  vary  in  different  years.  But  none 
of  these  factors  account  for  the  difference  between  6.29  and  7.45  pounds. 
If  the  stock  that  was  dried  till  a  bushel  gave  only  6.29  pounds  was  prop- 
erly dried,  what  can  we  say  of  that  which  contained  1.16  pounds  more 
water,  or  what  of  that  where  nearly  9  pounds  of  dried  stock  were  secured 
from  a  bushel?  The  whole  subject  of  evaporating  and  marketing 
deserves  a  careful  study. 

It  would  pay  to  raise  better  fruit  and  barrel  more  of  it. — Desirable  as 
the  evaporating  industry  is  in  disposing  of  poor  fruit,  there  is  little 
question  that  it  would  pay  the  growers  to  raise  better  apples  and  pick 
the  best  for  barreling.  From  a  third  .to  a  half  of  the  crop,  depending 
on  the  year,  is  sold  to  evaporate  without  thus  selecting  the  best  to 
barrel,  that  is,  the  entire  crop  is  shaken  from  the  trees  for  evaporating. 
(See  table  43.)  This  includes  a  still  larger  proportion  of  the  number 
of  orchards,  in  some  years  as  many  as  three-fourths,  for  it  is  more 
practiced  in  the  small  orchards  than  in  the  larger  ones. 

A  few  growers,  particularly  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  sell 
a  part  of  their  crop  in  Rochester  to  retail  dealers  or  sell  it  on  the 
streets.  This  is  particularly  profitable  with  apples  of  extra  good 
quality. 

There  are  a  number  of  secondary  markets.  One  man  used  50,000 
bushels  in  1902  for  the  manufacture  of  brandy.  The  vinegar  works 


354  BULLETIN  226. 

of  the  American  Fruit  Product  Company  at  Newark  make  about  half 
a  million  gallons  of  cider  and  vinegar  per  year.  Many  others  make 
smaller  quantities  of  cider  and  vinegar. 

Prices. — Apples  for  evaporating  are  sold  by  the  100  pounds.  The 
average  prices  and  the  prices  of  barreled  apples  are  given  in  table  44. 

TABLE  44. 

Average  price  paid  for  apples  to  evaporate  per  100  Ibs.  (2  bushels). 
Year.  Price. 

$0  30 
64 
44 

1903 41.3 

Average  price  per  barrel. 

1902 i  75 

1903 i  85 

Average  price  per  bushel  picked  apples  sold  in  bulk,  1903.  .         44.2 
Average  price  per  pound  for  dried  stock,  1903 .0504 

Apples  sold  on  the  streets  and  to  grocerymen  in  Rochester  are  quite  variable  in 
price,  but  usually  bring  two  to  three  times  as  much  as  when  sold  to  dry. 

The  vinegar  factories  pay  the  lowest  price  of  any  market.  The  1902  prices  ranged 
from  12  to  20  cents  per  hundred. 

Income  per  acre. — The  average  gross  income  per  acre  for  the  entire 
county  from  orchards  set  before  1880  has  been  as  follows:  1900,  $37.80; 
1901,  $14.28;  1902,  $48.18.  The  averages  in  Walworth  township  have 
been  considerably  better  than  the  average  for  the  county.  If  these  incomes 
seem  rather  small,  it  must  be  remembered  that  averages  include  orchards 
that  have  received  no  care  of  any  kind  as  well  as  those  that  have  received 
the  best  possible  treatment.  Unfortunately  the  average  expense  can  not 
be  obtained,  for  very  few  men  keep  an  account  of  the  expense  of  caring 
for  the  orchard.  In  a  very  large  number  of  orchards — the  ones  that  lower 
the  average  yield  and  income — there  is  practically  no  expense  except  the 
use  of  the  land  and  the  expense  of  hauling  the  apples  to  the  evaporator. 
Table  45  will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  average  income,  as  it  gives  the 
number  of  orchards  for  each  difference  of  $10  in  income. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      355 


TABLE  45. 
Average  income  per  acre  from  orchards  set  before  1880,  entire  county. 


INCOME 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

PER  ACRE. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 

cent. 

Less  than  $10.  .  . 
$10  to  $19 

14 

14 

MI# 

161 

10.  0 

I  'Z     -J 

118 

2^ 

670^ 
276 

44-5 
18  4 

16 

11 

105^ 

2Z2l4 

4-4 
10  6 

20  to    29  
30  to    39  
40  to    49  
50  to    59  
60  to    69 

16 
.    30 

21 

23 

2S 

164^ 
iS6/2 

•a* 

U4>2 

13-5 
15-4 
8.5 
7-3 
ii  .  i 

1 
$ 

i 

20  r 

55  1/2 
52 
147 

13-4 
3-7 
3-5 
9.8 

0    ^ 

34 
52 
40 
43 

22 

2l3l/2 

356/2 
277 
230^2 
98 

9.0 
15-0 

II.  2 

9-7 
41 

70  to     79  
80  to    89  

QO   to      00    . 

" 
2 

741A 

1J 

6.2 

i  .1 
o.  s 

i 

2 

4 

22/2 

0.3 

1-5 

34 
18 
16 

175^ 
138^ 
8«55^ 

7-4 
3* 

ioo  to  124  
125  to  149  
150  or  more.  .  .  . 

9 

2 

144 
8 
14 

II.  I 

0.7 

I  .2 

5 
4 
3 

23l/2 

& 

1.6 

2.2 
0.8 

30 
18 
10 

135^ 
140^ 
169 

is 

5.9 
7.0 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

Average  income  per  acre- 
trees  of  all  ages 

-entire  county  — 

$34  35 
378o 

49  50 

255  oo 

$13  44 
14  28 

17  22 

88  20 

$44  70 
48  18 

5258 
264  oo 

Average  income  per  acre  - 
trees  set  before  1880 

-  entire  county  — 

Average  income  per  acre  in 
set  before  1880 

Walworth  —  trees 

Average  total  income  per  grower  in  Walworth 

SUMMARY. 


Extent  of  the  Survey. — During  the  summer  of  1903,  574  orchards,  con- 
taining 3,761  acres,  were  examined  in  Wayne  county.  In  1904,  564 
orchards,  of  4,881  acres,  were  examined  in  Orleans  county.  The  statistics 
in  this  report  are  based  on  Wayne  county.  The  results  from  Orleans 
county  we  hope  to  publish  later. 

Area  planted  to  apples. — There  are  in  Wayne  county  about  21,000  acres 
of  apple  orchards.  The  total  area  of  improved  land  in  farms  is  305,299* 
acres ;  or,  6.9  per  cent  of  the  improved  farm  land  is  planted  to  apples. 

Varieties. — Baldwin  and  Greeniing  are  the  leading  varieties.  Roxbury 
Russet,  King,  Northern  Spy  and  Twenty  Ounce  are  also  rather  exten- 
sively grown.  The  recent  plantings  have  some  of  these  same  varieties, 
but  there  is  a  tendency  to  plant  the  earlier-bearing  kinds. 

Rented  orchards. — Between  twenty  and  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the 
orchards  are  rented.  The  four-year  average  yield  of  those  managed  by 
the  owner  has  been  210  bushels ;  of  those  managed  by  renters,  174  bushels. 

Orchard  renovation. — Nearly  all  of  the  orchards  have  been  badly  neg- 
lected, but  during  the  past  few  years  a  large  part  of  them  have  received 
more  attention.  Fourteen  per  cent  have  been  distinctly  renovated  during 
the  past  ten  years. 

Tillage  and  yields. — Twenty  per  cent  have  been  tilled  five  years  or 
more;  44  per  cent  have  been  in  sod  at  least  five  years;  the  others  have 
been  tilled  part  of  the  time.  Thirty  per  cent  were  tilled  in  1903. 

The  four-year-average  yields  have  been :  Tilled  every  year  for  at 
least  five  years,  266  bushels;  tilled  most  years,  229  bushels;  sod  most 
years,  202  bushels ;  sod  at  least  five  years,  148  bushels.  Or  the  average 
yield  of  those  that  are  regularly  tilled  is  80  per  cent  above  that  of  those 
regularly  in  sod.  A  part  of  this  difference  is  due  to  tillage  and  a  part  is 
due  to  the  fact 'that  the  man  who  tills  his  orchard  is  likely  to  give  it 
improved  care  in  other  respects.  Taking  only  those  orchards  that  -are 
otherwise  well  cared  for,  the  difference  is  reduced  to  35  per  cent  in  favor 
of  tillage,  the  four-year-average  yields  being:  Tilled  every  year,  271 
bushels ;  tilled  most  years,  245 ;  sod  most  years,  206 ;  sod  every  year,  200. 

Of  the  various  methods  of  sod  treatment,  pasturing  with  hogs  or  sheep 


Twelfth  Census  Report. 

356 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      357 

gave  better  yields  than  not  pasturing  or  pasturing  with  cattle  or  horses ; 
but  none  of  the  methods  of  sod  treatment  equalled  tillage  in  average 
yields.  A  few  sod  orchards  are  among  the  best  producers,  but  the 
average  is  much  below  that  of  the  tilled  ones.  Liberal  applications  of 
barnyard  manure  reduce  the  need  of  tillage. 

Very  many  orchards  are  in  need  of  more  growth  in  order  to  place  the 
trees  in  a  vigorous  condition.  Tillage  is  usually  the  cheapest  and  most 
effective  way  of  producing  this.  Barnyard  manure  may  also  be  needed. 

Fertilization  and  yields. — One-third  of  the  orchards  received  no  fer- 
tilization of  any  kind.  The  other  two-thirds  received  more  or  less  manure. 
Probably  less  than  half  received  enough  of  anything  so  as  to  be  classed  as 
fertilized.  Commercial  fertilizers  have  been  used  in  about  twelve  per 
cent  and  green  manure  (cover-crops)  in  about  the  same  area. 

The  average  yield  for  1902  and  1903  of  fertilized  orchards  was  257 
bushels;  for  unfertilized  it  was  202  bushels. 

A  few  men  have  shipped  in  manure  from  Buffalo.  Some  have  found 
that  they  can  profitably  buy  cattle  for  winter-feeding,  and  thus  secure 
manure.  . 

Cover-crops. — On  most  of  the  soils,  humus  is  needed  more  than  mere 
plant-food.  Barnyard  manure  or  cover-crops  usually  give  better  results 
than  commercial  fertilizers. 

Cover-crops  were  grown  in  eight  per  cent  of  the  orchards  in  1903. 
Buckwheat  is  the  most  commonly  used.  Crimson  clover,  red  clover,  rye, 
large  clover,  alfalfa,  peas  and  oats,  and  vetch  are  also  grown. 

Pruning. — The  ultimate  death  of  most  trees  is  due  to  neglect  of  pruning 
coupled  with  a  type  of  pruning  that  is  worse  than  neglect.  In  sixteen 
per  cent  of  the  orchards,  stubs  from  two  to  twelve  inches  long  were  left. 
Paint  is  rarely  used  on  wounds.  This  treatment  causes  the  trunks  to 
decay  and  results  in  a  broken  tree. 

The  important  points  in  pruning  are:  (i)  The  limbs  should  be  cut 
close  to  the  trunk.  (2)  Large  limbs  should  not  be  removed  without 
cause.  (3)  Paint  should  be  used  on  large  wounds.  (4)  Pruning  should 
be  done  every  year  rather  than  give  the  occasional  "thorough  trimming." 

Spraying. — Thirty-three  per  cent  of  the  orchards  are  seldom  or  never 
sprayed;  41  per  cent  were  sprayed  in  1903. 

Spraying  gives  less  profit  when  fruit  is  grown  for  evaporating  than 
when  grown  to  barrel.  In  1903  the  damages  from  insects  and  fungi  were 
small,  but  in  this  year  the  sprayed  orchards  averaged  27  bushels  per  acre 


358  BULLETIN  226. 

above  the  unsprayed  and  averaged  better  in  price.  The  average  income 
per  acre  from  sprayed  orchards  was  $77.84;  from  unsprayed,  $63.  In 
many  cases  only  one  spraying  was  given. 

Distance  between  trees. — A  great  loss  is  caused  by  the  trees  being  too 
close  together.  When  trees  are  too  close,  the  lower  limbs  die  and  cause  a 
loss  not  only  in  the  crop,  but  the  dead  limbs  lead  to  decayed  trunks.  In 
43  per  cent  of  the  mature  orchards  the  trees  are  30  x  30  feet  or  less,  the 
average  distance  being  31.6  feet.  The  four-year-average  yields  have  been : 
Trees  not  over  30  x  30  feet,  186  bushels;  31  x  31  to  35  x  35  feet,  222 
bushels ;  36  x  36  to  40  x  40  feet,  229  bushels. 

If  trees  are  too  close  :  (i)  They  are  not  so  healthy.  (2)  The  fruit 
does  not  color  well.  (3)  The  trees  have  less  bearing  surface.  (4)  In- 
sects and  fungi  do  more  damage.  (5)  The  cost  of  labor  is  greater. 

Orchards  should  be  thinned  as  soon  as  the  trees  begin  to  interfere, 
before  the  lower  limbs  have  been  killed.  Thinning  should  ordinarily  be 
accomplished  by  removing  every  other  row  diagonally,  first  having  deter- 
mined which  way  will  leave  the  largest  number  of  sound  trees. 

Age  and  yield. — The  maximum  yield  in  Wayne  county  seems  to  come 
at  44  years  after  planting.  This  age  will  doubtless  be  greater  in  the  future, 
for  good  care  seems  to  give  a  greater  gain  in  the  longevity  of  the  trees 
than  in  the  yearly  yield. 

Some  orchards  planted  nearly  a  century  ago  are  still  profitable,  but 
a  large  number  of  the  neglected  orchards  that  were  planted  about 
forty  years  ago  will  be  of  little  value  in  twenty  years.  In  the  north 
part  of  the  county,  some  young  orchards  are  being  planted  to  meet  this 
contingency. 

Drainage  problems. — About  eight  per  cent  of  the  orchards  need  drain- 
age throughout.  Thirty  per  cent  need  drainage  in  part  of  their  area. 
The  greatest  loss  from  poor  drainage  is  not  in  the  damage  to  entire 
orchards,  but  in  the  small  undrained  places  that  occur  in  many  orchards. 

Fifty-four  orchards  in  Walworth  township  were  reported  as  need- 
ing drainage.  These  gave  42  bushels  less  yield  per  acre  than  the 
average  of  the  township. 

Poor  drainage  not  only  affects  the  vigor  of  the  tree  directly,  but  it 
encourages  canker,  collar  rot,  etc.  Land  that  is  well  drained  for  grain 
crops  may  not  be  well  drained  for  apples. 

Soils. — The  loamy  soils  are  the  best  for  apple  production,  but  good 
apple  crops  are  grown  on  quite  diversified  soils.  The  treatment  that  the 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      359 

orchard  receives  is  far  more  important  than  the  kind  of  soil.  This 
treatment  must  vary  to  some  extent  with  the  type  of  soil.  A  good 
apple  soil  in  Wayne  county  may  be  said  to  be  one  that  is  well  drained 
and  deep. 

Site  and  aspect. — The  elevation  above  the  surrounding  country  does  not 
have  a  marked  effect  on  the  yield. 

The  easterly  slopes  give  considerably  better  yields  than  the  westerly, 
probably  owing  to  the  strong  west  winds. 

Enemies. — The  most  serious  enemies  of  the  apple  are  the  scab  fungus 
and  the  codlin-moth.  Both  of  these  can  be  controlled  by  spraying. 

The  collar  rot  or  King  disease  is  a  rot  that  kills  the  bark  at  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  It  is  worst  on  Kings,  attacking  nearly  all  the 
mature  trees.  It  is  also  bad  on  the  Spitzenburg  and  occurs  to  some 
extent  on  all  varieties.  It  is  usually  worst  on  poorly  drained  soil. 
Little  can  be  done  except  to  treat  the  wounds  as  any  wound  should 
be  treated.  But  the  trouble  can  be  avoided  by  planting  hardy  stocks,  as 
the  Spy,  and  top- working  to  King.  If  this  is  done,  the  trouble  furnishes 
no  reason  whatever  for  abandoning  the  King  apple. 

Canker  is  a  disease  attacking  the  limbs.  It  is  doing  considerable 
damage  in  one-fifth  of  the  orchards  of  the  county.  If  the  trees  had 
been  well  cared  for,  it  would  seldom  have  secured  a  foothold,  except 
in  the  Twenty  Ounce.  It  can  be  overcome,  except  in  extreme  cases, 
by  pruning  out  the  diseased  limbs,  spraying  the  limbs  with  Bordeaux 
mixture,  and,  most  important  of  all,  putting  the  trees  in  a  healthy 
growing  condition. 

Evaporating  apples. — Wayne  county  is  the  home  of  the  apple-evap- 
orating industry.  The  proportion  of  the  crop  that  is  evaporated  varies 
from  year  to  year,  but  averages  about  seventy-five  per  cent.  Some 
growers  pick  the  best  apples  to  barrel,  others  shake  off  the  entire  crop 
for  evaporating.  In  1902  the  entire  crop  was  thus  shaken  from  the  trees 
in  45  per  cent  of  the  orchard  area.  A  much  greater  profit  would  usually 
be  made  if  the  orchard  were  so  managed  as  to  produce  a  really  No.  I 
apple,  and  if  more  of  these  were  then  sold  in  barrels. 

Yields. — The  average  yields  per  acre  for  mature  orchards  have  been: 
1900,  252  bushels;  1901,  34  bushels;  1902,  222  bushels. 

Income  per  acre. — The  gross  average  incomes  per  acre  from  mature 
trees  have  been:  1900,  $37.80;  1901,  $14.28;  1902,  $48.18. 


CONDENSED  CONCLUSION. 

Tillage,  fertilization,  pruning  and  spraying  are  the  chief  factors 
that  enter  into  good  care  of  an  orchard.  One  or  more  of  these  may 
sometimes  be  omitted  or  poorly  done  without  any  serious  results. 
To  some  extent  tillage  may  replace  fertilizers,  or  vice  versa.  A  thrifty 
orchard  may  resist  the  attacks  of  disease.  Some  years  there  are  few 
insects  or  fungi,  so  that  spraying  is  not  so  much  needed.  A  farmer  fre- 
quently gets  good  results  from  some  one  of  these  factors  and  becomes 
so  impressed  with  its  importance  that  he  makes  a  hobby  of  it,  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  the  others.  But  the  most  successful  apple-grower  is  the 
man  who  keeps  a  proper  balance  between  all  four  agencies  and  does  not 
expect  good  care  in  one  respect  to  make  up  for  neglect  in  other  ways. 
There  is  not  a  recommendation  in  this  report  that  has  not  been  success- 
fully carried  out  by  some  growers ;  but  few  men  have  given  attention  to 
all  the  questions,  though  some  of  the  most  successful  have  come  very 
near  to  doing  so. 

But  these  factors  are  not  all.  The  successful  man  must  study ;  he 
must  learn  something  of  the  life  processes  of  the  apple-tree ;  he  must 
know  the  most  serious  insect  and  fungous  diseases,  and  why  certain 
treatment  is  effective  in  combating  them;  he  must  know  something  of 
the  drainage,  humus  and  other  soil  problems. 

No  set  of  rules  can  cover  all  these  points.  The  apple-grower  must 
go  into  the  orchard  and  get  acquainted  with  his  trees.  As  one  farmer 
expressed  it,  he  must  go  into  the  orchard  occasionally  and  say  to  his 
trees,  "  Good  morning !  Is  there  anything  that  you  would  like  to-day?" 
There  are  many  more  or  less  successful  farmers  who  never  really  see 
the  apple-tree — they  see  only  the  crop.  Any  treatment  that  will 
temporarily  increase  the  crop  seems  to  them  to  be  good,  but  this  very 
treatment  may  be  destroying  the  prospects  for  future  crops. 

Nor  is  success  in  orcharding  wholly  dependent  on  a  large  crop. 
There  is  a  business  side  to  the  question.  Does  it  pay  to  grow  cheap 
apples  to  be  evaporated  or  to  be  sold  at  the  Ipwest  market  price,  or 
would  it  pay  better  to  grow  a  first-class  article  that  costs  more  and 
then  commands  the  highest  price?  A  few  men  in  each  county  are 
known  as  growers  of  good  apples.  Some  other  men  grow  just  as 
good  apples  and  yet  haye  no  reputation.  Sometimes  it  is  because 

360 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  WAYNE  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.      361 

their  "  firsts  "  and  "seconds  "  all  get  into  one  barrel,  sometimes  it  is 
because  the  growers  are  not  known.  The  grower  of  good  apples  should 
establish  a  business  reputation  that  will  bring  buyers  to  him  and  make 
a  competition  for  his  product. 

Last  of  all,  let  me  urge  the  advisability  of  keeping  an  account  with 
the  orchard  and  with  the  other  important  crops  (as  shown  on  page  297). 
See  which  crops  really  pay.  If  the  apple  orchard  proves  to  be  the  most 
profitable  crop,  then  give  it  first  attention. 

BULLETINS    FOR   APPLE-GROWERS. 

The  most  progressive  fruit-grower  studies  his  business  not  only  in  his 
own  orchard  but  in  every  way  possible.  To  keep  abreast  of  the  progress 
made  in  orchard  management  he  must  know  what  other  orchardists  are 
doing  and  must  be  familiar  with  the  results  of  experiment  station  work. 
The  following  are  a  few  of  the  many  free  bulletins  that  are  available  to 
New  York  farmers,  so  long  as  the  issues  remain  in  print. 

The  following  bulletins  are  sent  free  to  residents  of  New  York  on 
application  to  the  Cornell  University  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Ithaca,  N.  Y. : 

Bulletin     73.  The  Cultivation  of  Orchards. 
93.  The  Cigar  Case-Bearer. 

142.  The  Codling-Moth. 

153.  Impressions  of  Fruit-Growing  Industries. 

155.  The  San  Jose  Scale. 

170.  Tent  Caterpillars. 

198.  Orchard  Cover-Crops. 

207.  Pink  Rot,  an  Attendant  of  Apple-Scab. 

214.  The  Ribbed  Cocoon-Maker  of  the  Apple. 

216.  Spraying  for  W7ild  Mustard  and  the  Dust  Spray. 

217.  Spray  Calendar. 

Bulletins  in  the  following  list  are  sent  free  to  residents  of  New  York 
on.    application    to    the    New    York    Agricultural    Experiment    Station, 
Geneva,  N.  Y. : 
Bulletin  122.  The  Pistol  Case-Bearer. 

163,  185.  The  New  York  Apple-Tree  Canker. 

167.  A  Fruit  Disease  Survey  of  the  Hudson  Valley  in  1899. 

170.  Diseases  Injurious  to  Fruits. 


362  BULLETIN  226. 

Bulletin   191.  A  Fruit  Disease  Survey  of  Western  New  York  in  1900. 
196.  Spraying  in  Bloom. 
220.  Two  Unusual  Troubles  of  Apple  Foliage :    Frost  Blisters ; 

and    Spotting    and    Dropping    of    Leaves    Caused    by 

Spraying. 

235.  Two  Decays  of  Stored  Apples. 
239.  Thinning  Apples. 
248.  New  York  Apples  in  Storage. 

258.  A  Study  of  the  Chemistry  of  Home-Made  Cider  Vinegar. 
193,  194,  202,  209,  213,  228.  San  Jose  Scale. 

Publications  sent  free  on  application  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. : 

Soil  Survey  of  the  Lyons  Area,  New  York. 
Extract  from  the  Yearbook  for  1901. 

230.  Commercial  Apple  Orcharding. 
Extract  from  the  Yearbook  for  1902. 

266.  Top- Working  Orchard  Trees. 
Extract  from  the  Yearbook  for  1903. 

317.  Relation  of  Cold  Storage  to  Commercial  Apple  Orcharding. 

Farmers'  Bulletins. 

Bulletin  113.  The  Apple,  and  How  to  Grow  It. 

127.  Important   Insecticides:    Directions    for   their    Preparation 

and  Use. 
146.  Insecticides   and    Fungicides:    Chemical    Composition   and 

Effectiveness  of  Certain  Preparations. 
161.  Practical  Suggestions  for  Fruit  Growers. 
181.  Pruning. 

187.  Drainage  of  Farm  Lands. 
208.  Varieties  of  Fruit  Recommended  for  Planting. 


PART  II 

THE  APPLE  INDUSTRY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY 
NEW  YORK 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS 
COUNTY,  NEW  YORK. 


BY  G.  F.  WARREN. 

General  statement  and  acknowledgments. — This  Bulletin  is  a  supplement 
to  Bulletin  226,  "  The  Apple  Orchard  Survey  of  Wayne  County,"  which 
discussed  apple-grow- 
ing in  both  counties, 
the  conclusions  in  it 
being  based  on  obser- 
vations made  in  both 
counties  and  on  the 
statistics  gathered  from 
Wayne  county.  In 
this  Bulletin  the  tables 
from  Orleans  county 
are  presented,  but  the 
discussions  are  not  re- 
peated except  when 
new  or  contradictory 
conclusions  are  shown. 
It  is  therefore  expected 
that  the  reader  of  this 
Bulletin  will  have  at 
hand  Bulletin  226. 

Nearly  half  of  the 
field  work  was  done 
by  Mr.  Christian  Biies, 
who  not  only  assisted 
in  the  investigation 
but  gave  many  valu- 
able suggestions  on  the 
methods  of  work. 

I  wish  to  thank  the  five  hundred  or  more  farmers  who  so  willingly 
placed  at  our  disposal  the  statistics  about  their  orchards  and  told  us  of 
their  successes  and  failures.  I  might  mention  in  particular  the  help  given 


FIG.  158. — Tzventy-ounce.     A   profitable   apple   zvhere 
the  tree  is  well  cared  for. 


BULLETIN  229. 


by  S.  W.  Smith,  William  A.  Laffler,  J.  N.  Stebbins,  Albert  Wood  and 
many  others,  but  no  such  list  can  be  properly  given  without  including 
four  or  five  hundred  names.  The  acknowledgments  must  therefore  be 
to  the  apple-growers  of  Orleans  county. 

The  field  work. — The  work  of  gathering  the  statistics  was  done  between 
August  24  and  October  22,  1904.  This  later  period  than  was  spent  in 
Wayne  county  allowed  a  more  careful  study  of  the  condition  of  the  fruit 
at  the  time  of  picking  and  the  relation  of  the  quality  to  prices.  The  yields 

for  1904  were  secured  by 
letter.  A  total  of  564 
orchards,  containing  4,881 
acres,  were  examined. 

Methods  of  work. — 
The  field  equipment,  as  in 
Wayne  county,  consisted 
of  a  soil  auger,  camera, 
notebook,  blanks  for  re- 
ports, bicycle,  etc.  Mr. 
Biies  and  myself  were 
together  each  evening  and 
worked  together  in  the 
field  frequently,  so  that 
the  work  was  kept  on  a 
uniform  basis. 

The  methods  of  mak- 
ing computations  were 
carried  out  as  formerly  described,  except  that  in  computing  average  yields 
all  bearing  orchards  were  included.  But  there  was  an  average  of  only 
eight  orchards  set  since  1879  whose  yields  were  secured,  and  these  yields 
were  not  low  (table  17).  The  average  yields  are  therefore  comparable 
with  those  in  Wayne  county  for  orchards  set  before  1880.  In  all  com- 
putations, a  barrel  is  taken  as  three  bushels.  This  is  a  little  high,  but  is 
necessary  as  it  is  the  measure  generally  used  by  farmers. 

In  Carlton  township,  which  is  the  middle  one  of  the  three  townships 
bordering  on  Lake  Ontario,  every  orchard  as  large  as  five  acres,  and  most 
of  those  above  four  acres,  were  examined.  In  the  remainder  of  the 
county  most  of  the  orchards  above  eight  or  ten  acres  and  many  smaller 
ones  were  examined,  the  average  size  being  nine  acres.  The  investigation 
covered  the  entire  county. 


FIG.  159. — Baldwin:     The  leading  commercial  apple 
of  Western  Nezv  York. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     465 


Area  planted  to  apples. — The  census  of  1900  shows  that  there  were  at 
that  time  629,401  apple-trees  of  bearing  age  in  Orleans  county.  Since 
the  average  number  of  trees  per  acre  is  41.5  (table  15),  the  total  area 
of  trees  of  bearing  age  must  have  been  about  15,200  acres.  Adding  to 
this  the  1,300  acres  of  young  trees  (8  per  cent  of  the  total  area,  see  table 
16),  gives  a  total  of  16,500  acres  of  apples  in  the  county. 

The  entire  area  of  the  county  is  399  square  miles,  so  that  there  is  an 
average  of  41  acres  of  apples  per  square  mile.  The  area  of  improved 
land  in  farms  is  205,279  acres.*  Of  this  area,  6.9  per  cent  is  planted  to 
apples.  Nearly  all  of  the  orchards  are  in  the  north  two-thirds  of  the 
county.  A  total  of  1,530  acres  were  examined  in  Carlton  township,  which 
has  an  area  of  about  forty-six  square  miles.  The  area  of  apples  in  this 
township  is  probably  nearly  2,000  acres,  as  only  orchards  as  large  as  four 
or  five  acres  were  examined. 

TILLAGE. 

Acreage  of  tilled  and  unfilled  orchards. — About  eleven  per  cent  of  the 
mature  orchards  have  been  tilled  every  year  for  at  least  five  years ;  33 
per  cent  have  been  in  sod  for  at  least  the  same  period ;  the  others  have 
been  tilled  more  or  less  (table  i). 

TABLE  i. 
Treatment  prior  to  1904.     Mature  orchards. 


TREATMENT. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Tilled  10  years  or  more 

2O 

2-?2 

5" 

Tilled  5  years  or  more 

•JA 

260  V-> 

6 

Tilled  over  half  of  preceding  5  years  

07 

S^71A 

20 

Sod  over  half  of  preceding  5  years.  

186 

i,  617 

-17 

Sod  5  years  or  more 

6c 

x,  wj./ 
6^ 

T  e     ., 

Sod  10  years  or  more 

Q2 

77O54 

18 

Twenty  per  cent  were  tilled  in  1904.  About  half  of  the  remainder  were 
pastured  and  half  not  pastured.  A  marked  contrast  with  Wayne  county 
is  shown  in  the  very  large  area  pastured  by  sheep.  The  area  given,  as 
pastured  by  cattle  is  doubtless  too  small,  as  some  orchards  that  had  been 
used  as  a  cattle  pasture  early  in  the  season  were  not  so  used  at  the  time 
of  the  survey,  and  were  not  reported  as  having  been  so  used  (table  2). 

Thirty-six  per  cent  of  the  young  orchards  were  in  sod  in  1904,  and 
9  per  cent  were  sown  to  grain  crops.  The  remaining  55  per  cent  were 

*  Twelfth  Census,  1900. 


466 


BULLETIN  229. 


tilled,  usually  planted  to  beans  or  potatoes  (table  3).  This  shows  that 
many  farmers  are  coming  to  realize  that  the  young  orchard  should  not 
be  considered  as  one  field  in  the  crop  rotation,  and  that  tilled  crops  are 

TABLE  2. 
Treatment  in  1904  of  mature  orchards. 


TREATMENT. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Tilled  with  cover-crop  

i-s 

I27IX 

-i 

Tilled  without  cover-crop  
Sod,  sheep  pasture 

89 
102 

745^ 
08  1 

17 
22 

Sod,  sheep  and  hog  pasture 

-JQ 

24Q 

Sod,  hog  pasture  

sr 

62 

4721/? 

IO 

Sod,  cattle  pasture  .    .  .  •.  

20 

IQ2JA 

A 

Sod,  grass  cut  and  left         

c6 

627  1A 

14 

Sod,  not  included  in  above  

141 

I    1^2 

2< 

Total  tilled 

102 

877 

20 

Total  sod 

41  1 

•2  6iAlA 

80 

the  only  ones  that  should  be  grown  in  it.  Needless  to  say,  the  young 
trees  that  are  in  sod  are  usually  making  a  very  poor  growth  as  compared 
with  that  of  those  that  are  tilled.  Probably  more  damage  is  done  to 
young  trees  by  sod  than  by  all  other  causes.  Some  of  those  that  are  in 

TABLE  3. 
Treatment  in  1904  of  young  trees — set  since  1895. 


TREATMENT. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Tilled   planted  to  a  cultivated  crop 

OJ 

2l6l/2 

cq 

Tilled    sowed  to  grain  crop 

cr 

W1A 

Q 

Sod    hay  cut            '         . 

107 

27 

Sod   grass  and  weeds  not  cut 

4- 

wYz 

9^ 

sod  are  plowed  along  the  rows  or  are  mulched  around  the  trees  so  that 
the  damage  is  lessened. 

Yields  of  tilled  and  sod  orchards. — As  shown  by  table  4,  the  five-year 
average  yield  of  orchards  that  have  been  tilled  ten  years  is  86  per  cent 
larger  than  that  of  those  that  have  been  in  sod  ten  or  more  years,  and  those 
tilled  five  years  gave  34  per  cent  larger  yield  than  those  in  sod  five  years. 
This  computation,  like  all  others,  was  made  for  Carlton  and  for  the 
remainder  of  the  county  separately.  But  the  conclusions  shown  were  the 
same  in  each  case,  therefore  the  totals  only  are  given. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     467 

Undoubtedly  the  tilled  orchards  have  fared  better  in  general  care. 
Neglected  orchards  are  likely  to  be  in  sod.  This  table  therefore  shows 
too  great  a  difference  in  favor  of  tillage.  To  eliminate  other  factors, 
another  computation  has  been  made  in  which  all  neglected  orchards  were 
thrown  out.  This  excluded  about  half  of  the  orchards  that  are  regularly 
in  sod  and  excluded  some  from  all  classes. 


FlG.  160. — York  Imperial.     Prised  in  Pennsylvania  as  a  winter  apple. 
Of  questionable  value  in  Orleans  county. 

Table  5  includes  only  those  orchards  that  are  fairly  well  cared  for. 
All  have  received  some  fertilizer  and  some  spraying.  None  are  badly 
damaged  by  lack  of  fertilization,  spraying,  or  drainage,  or  badly  damaged 
by  disease  or  other  causes.  Of  these  fairly  well  cared  for  orchards,  those 
that  have  been  tilled  ten  or  more  years  gave  45  per  cent  larger  yield  than 
those  in  sod  ten  or  more  years,  and  those  tilled  five  or  more  years  gave 
15  per  cent  larger  yield  than  those  in  sod  the  same  period.  This  tabula- 
tion doubtless  gives  too  favorable  a  showing  for  the  sod  orchards,  tor 
some  of  the  diseased  ones  thrown  out  were  diseased  because  of  the  sod 
treatment.  The  real  difference  due  to  tillage  is  probably  between  the 
differences  shown  by  tables  4  and  5. 


468 


BULLETIN  229. 


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AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     469 


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470  BULLETIN  229. 

Effect  of  tillage  on  the  quality  of  the  fruit. — Apples  from  sod  orchards 
are  frequently  more  highly  colored  than  are  those  from  tilled  orchards, 
but  are  not  necessarily  so.  Tillage  may  make  it  a  little  more  difficult 
to  secure  good  color,  but  there  are  many  tilled  orchards  that  give  highly 
colored  fruit.  Drainage  and  feeding  are  important  factors. 


FIG.  161. — Jonathan.    Combines  high  quality  and  handsome  appearance. 

Many  farmers  think  that  apples  from  the  sod  orchards  have  a  better 
flavor  and  keep  better.  If  these  views  are  correct,  the  differences  are 
certainly  not  very  great.  The  increased  size  of  apples  from  tilled 
orchards  usually  more  than  makes  up  for  any  such  differences.  Apple- 
buyers  frequently  discuss  this  question,  sometimes  favoring  one  kind  of 
treatment  and  sometimes  the  other.  But  more  conclusive  than  their  dis- 
cussions or  than  farmers'  opinions  are  the  actual  prices  paid.  It  will  be 
seen  by  tables  4  and  5  that,  if  there  is  any  difference,  the  tilled  orchards 
exceed  the  untilled  by  a  slightly  larger  per  cent  in  average  income  than 
in  average  yield.  That  is,  the  ruling  prices  per  bushel  have  been  a  little 
higher  from  tilled  orchards  than  from  those  in  sod. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     471 


Methods  of  sod  treatment. — Sod  orchards  pastured  with  sheep  and 
hogs  have  given  a  much  better  average  yield  than  those  not  pastured,  or 
than  those  pastured  by  cattle  (table  6).  Probably  one  reason  for  the 
extremely  low  average  for  those  pastured  by  cattle  is  that  in  Orleans 
county,  cattle  are  not  commonly  allowed  in  any  but  neglected  orchards. 
Table  6  includes  orchards  that  have  been  in  sod  most  of  the  time  as  well 
as  those  regularly  in  sod.  By  comparing  with  the  corresponding*  years 
in  table  4,  it  will  be  seen  that  none  of  the  methods  of  sod  treatment  equals 
tillage  in  average  yields.  The  corresponding  yield  for  tilled  orchards, 

TABLE  6 
Yield  in  bushels  with  various  methods  of  sod  treatment. 


METHOD  OF 

i 

1902. 

1903. 

1904. 

TREATMENT. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

Pastured  with  hogs.  .  .  . 
Pastured  with  sheep.  .  . 
Pastured  with  cattle.  .  . 
Not  pastured 

34 
44 
9 
7O 

236 

447^ 
92 
670^ 

280 
288 

99 
200 

IO 
08 

233 
854^ 

102)4 

887 

264 
228 

168 
208 

21 

37 

£ 

131 

343 

69 

5  7 

393 
309 
192 

O'J  C 

Three-year  average  per  acre  : 

Pastured  with  hogs 312  bushels 

Pastured  .with  sheep 308 

Pastured  with  cattle 153 

Not  pastured  217        " 

that  is  the  three-year  average  for  orchards  that  have  been  tilled  five  to  ten 
years  and  more,  is  350  bushels. 

A  few  growers  are  trying  the  so-called  mulch  method  of  cutting  the 
grass  and  throwing  it  around  the  trees.  Theoretically  this  would  seem 
to  be  undesirable  since  the  great  demands  for  water  and  plant-food 
that  are  made  by  growing  the  hay  come  at  the  time  when  the  apple-trees 
need  the  moisture  and  food  for  their  own  growth.  But  practically  there 
is  a  much  more  serious  difficulty.  There  are  comparatively  few  orchards 
in  which  anything  like  enough  hay  can  be  grown  to  furnish  an  efficient 
mulch.  For  most  orchards,  additional  straw  and  hay  must  be  obtained 
from  outside  the  orchard. 

Does  tillage  pay? — After  examining  tables  4  and  5,  and  the  correspond- 
ing tables  from  Wayne  county,  one  is  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  if 
there  is  a  method  of  sod  treatment  that  is  as  good  as  tillage,  the  average 
farmer  has  certainly  not  yet  found  it.  Both  counties  show  that  the  best 


472 


BULLETIN  229. 


sod  treatment  thus  far  generally  tested  is  to  pasture  with  sheep  or  hogs 
and  give  liberal  applications  of  barnyard  manure. 

There  are  many  sod  orchards  that  are  giving  good  yields.  Some  of 
these  are  producing  well,  but  are  having  their  period  of  productiveness 
shortened  by  sod ;  some  are  yielding  well  and  are  thrifty.  Of  the  seventy 
orchards  that  have  been  in  sod  five  to  ten  years  or  more  and  that  reported 


FIG.  162. — Fall  Pippin.    One  of  the  old  household  favorites. 

the  yields  for  1904,  only  14  gave  yields  equal  to  the  average  of  the  tilled 
ones.  The  average  proportion  for  the  five  years  has  been  the  same. 
That  is,  one  in  five  of  the  sod  orchards  give  as  good  yields  as  the  average 
tilled  ones.  Not  nearly  this  number  could  be  said  to  be  very  successful. 
To  be  called  successful  the  orchard  should  certainly  be  in  the  better  half 
of  the  tilled  ones — not  merely  equal  to  the  average,  which  has  been  low- 
ered by  the  neglected  orchards.  Allowing  for  the  trouble  and  cost  of 
plowing,  the  loss  of  pasture,  etc.,  it  would  still  seem  that  about  four-fifths 
of  the  sod  orchards  would  pay  better  if  tilled. 

Many  who  have  tried  tillage  have  made  the  mistake  of  tilling  too  late 
in  the  season.  Much  of  the  objection  to  the  practice  would  not  exist  were 
it  not  for  this  mistake.  If  a  cover-crop  is  sown  early  in  July,  the  trees 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     473 


may  be  somewhat  checked  in  growth  so  that  the  fruit  will  color  better, 

and  a  good  floor  can  usually  be  secured  by  picking  time.     If  buckwheat 

is  sown,  it  should  be  harrowed  down  before  picking  time.     If  clover  is 

sown,   it  may  need  to  be  mowed.     Some  very  successful  orchards  are 

tilled    until    early     in 

July,    then    seeded    to 

clover.   The  next  year 

this   clover   is   mowed. 

and  left  as  a  mulch  to 

be   plowed   under   the 

following  spring.  This 

gives  an  alternation  of 

tillage  and  light  clover 

sod. 

From  the  results  ob- 
tained in  the  few 
orchards  where  it  has 
been  systematically 
tried,  it  seems  safe  to 
strongly  recommend 
to  those  who  wish  to 
continue  sod  treatment 
that  they  go  through 
the  orchard  once  each 
with  a  disc  or 


FIG.    i63.—Belinoiver. 


An   old-time   favorite   of  good 
quality. 


way    witn    a 

cutaway  harrow  early 

in  every  spring.     This 

does  much  to  prevent  the  formation  of  a  compact  soil  and  a  tough  sod. 

It  may  be  advisable  to  sow  a  little  clover  at  the  time  of  discing. 

FERTILIZATION. 

Fertilizers  used, — -Formerly  large  numbers  of  orchards  were  neglected, 
and  received  little  fertilization  of  any  kind,  but  now  93  per  cent  are 
reported  as  receiving  some  kind  of  fertilization.  Not  all  of  these  receive 
adequate  applications,  for  this  area  includes  all  that  are  reported  as  having 
received  any,  regardless  of  the  amount  and  frequency.  The  most  striking 
feature  is  the  liberal  use  of  barnyard  manure  by  the  majority  of  the  grow- 
ers. It  is  used  by  91  per  cent.  A  very  large  number  report  that  all  the 
manure  produced  on  the  farm  is  used  in  the  orchard. 


474 


BULLETIN  229. 


Commercial  fertilizers,  including  wood  ashes,  have  been  used  in  24  per 
cent  of  the  area.  These  are  usually  applied  in  combination  with  manure. 
Fertilizers  without  nitrogen  or  low  in  nitrogen  are  usually  used.  Some- 
times the  phosphorus  is  also  omitted. 

Cover-crops. — Cover-crops  were  reported  as  having  been  used  in  3  per 
cent  of  the  area  examined.  They  have  probably  been  used  more  than 
this  indicates.  Many  kinds  have  been  tried,  but  the  majority  of  the  men 
who  use  cover-crops  favor  common  red  clover  or  buckwheat.  Crimson 
clover,  rye,  vetch,  rape,  alfalfa  and  others  have  been  used  to  some  extent. 

TABLE  7. 
Summary  of  fertilizers  used  on  mature  orchards. 


FERTILIZER. 

USED  AI.ONE. 

USED  WITH  OTHER 
FERTILIZERS. 

TOTAL. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

- 
No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

None  

43 
457 

108 

15 

304^ 

3,755 
999 

133^ 

7 
9i 
24 

3 

Barnyard  manure  
Commercial  fertilizers. 
Green  manure  —  cover- 
crops 

350 
ii 

2,  738 
83^ 

66 
2 

107 
97 

15 

1,017 
915^ 

133^ 

25 
22 

3 

Kinds  of  commercial  fertilizers. 


FERTILIZER. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Potash  or  ashes                                  .  .      .             .      .        .      ... 

46 

414 

10 

158 

Complete  fertilizer              •        ...             

40 

404 

As  already  suggested  under  tillage,  it  would  seem  to  be  desirable  to 
replace  some  of  the  manure  by  tillage  and  cover-crops.  In  estimating 
the  profitableness  of  various  methods,  farmers  usually  underestimate  the 
cost  and  value  of  manure.  But  unless  tillage  and  cover-crops  are  used, 
the  danger  is  that  too  little  rather  than  too  much  manure  will  be  applied. 
A  very  few  orchards  have  possibly  received  a  little  too  much. 

PRUNING. 

In  about  half  of  the  orchards  the  pruning  is  good  or  fair.  In  n  per 
cent  it  is  entirely  neglected.  Very  long  stubs  were  left  in  17  per  cent, 
and  rather  bad  stubs  in  7  per  cent  more.  In  7  per  cent  the  large  lower 


Ax  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     475 

limbs  have  been  cut  off  because  the  trees  were  too  close  together.     Paint 
has  been  used  on  the  wounds  in  16  orchards. 

The  points  that  need  to  be  considered  are  the  same  as  those  in  Wayne 
county,  and  are  discussed  in  Bulletin  226.     They  are : 

1.  The  branches  should  be  cut  close  to  the  limb. 

2.  Large  limbs  should  not  be  removed  unless  it  is  necessary.     If  the 
trees  are  too  close  together,  half  of  them  should  be  removed  rather  than 
spoil  the  entire  orchard  by  cutting  off  the  large  lower  limbs. 

3.  Paint  should  be  used  on  all  large  wounds,  and  renewed  yearly  until 
the  wounds  are  healed  over. 

4.  Pruning  should  be  done  every  year  rather  than  give  the  occasional 
"  thorough  trimming." 

TABLE  8. 
Pruning. 


QUALITY  OF  WORK:  OTHER  FEATURES. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Good                                              .             

121 

Q7I  y. 

21 

Fair                                                      

I7c 

I,  424 

T.2 

Poor  or  neglected                            .... 

£ 

161 

1,  i+^if 
I,  1^62 

7C 

None  .                                                  ..... 

C7 

ZQT, 

II 

Tops  too  dense         ..... 

6s 

52O 

12 

Long  stubs  left.           

104 

7461A 

17 

Few  stubs  left         .             .... 

40 

406 

9 

Large   limbs  removed   because   trees   too   close 
together  

41 

707  *A 

7 

Paint  used  on  wounds      

16 

08 

2 

SPRAYING. 

Methods  of  spraying. — Nearly  all  the  orchards  are  sprayed  occasion- 
ally. Sixty -one  per  cent  were  sprayed  in  1904.  Only  two  of  the  orchards 
set  since  1895  were  sprayed  in  1904.  One-fifth  of  the  area  was  sprayed 
with  arsenic  and  Bordeaux  mixture.  Nearly  all  the  remainder  was 
sprayed  with  Paris  green  and  Bordeaux.  A  few  growers  used  prepared 
mixtures,  but  none  were  seen  who  found  these  satisfactory  (tables  9 
and  10). 

Effects  of  spraying  on  yields  and  prices. — Spraying  has  practically 
eliminated  the  canker-worm  from  the  county.  At  present  the  codlin- 
moth  and  the  apple-scab  (commonly  called  "  the  fungus  ")  are  the  most 
serious  enemies.  In  1904  fungous  troubles  were  worse  than  usual,  though 
not  as  serious  as  in  some  years. 


476 


BULLETIN  229. 


In  order  to  get  an  accurate  estimate  of  the  damage  done  by  the  scab, 
the  percentage  of  the  apples  thus  affected  was  determined  for  each  orchard. 
This  was  done  by  counting  and  examining  apples  in  each.  Every  apple 
that  had  any  scab  spots  was  counted  as  scabby.  Those  orchards  given  in 
table  ii  as  having  0-5  per  cent  scab  gave  practically  perfect  fruit — the 
real  No.  I  apples.  Those  reported  as  having  6-25  per  cent  scab  gave 

TABLE  9. 
Spraying,  1904. 


HOW  SPRAYED. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Seldom  or  never  sprayed          ...     .             ... 

64 

565 

12 

Usually  sprayed,  but  not  sprayed  in  1904  
Sprayed  once  

143 
98 

1,226 
044  1A 

27 
21 

Sprayed  twice 

126 

I     24O  l/r 

28 

Sprayed  three  times  

c-i 

C2I 

II 

Sprayed  four  times  

7 

58 

I 

Total  unsprayed 

207 

I    7OI 

-JQ 

Total   sprayed 

284 

2   77^ 

61 

TABLE  10. 
Kinds  of  sprays  used  in  1904. 


TREATMENT. 

No.  orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Paris  green  and  Bordeaux  mixture 

210 

i  88^? 

70 

Arsenic  and  Bordeaux  mixture 

^ 
46 

4.24  * 

18 

Prepared  mixtures 

6 

41 

2 

Bordeaux  mixture  only 

7 

^2 

I 

Paris  green  only     

I 

7' 

very  good  fruit.  From  those  having  over  50  per  cent  scab,  it  was  prac- 
tically impossible  to  put  up  real  No.  I  apples. 

In  practically  no  unsprayed  orchards  were  over  half  of  the  apples  free 
from  scab.  In  nearly  all  such  orchards  about  ninety  per  cent  were 
scabby.  In  56  per  cent  of  the  orchards  sprayed  once,  the  apples  were  not 
over  half  scabby.  The  percentage  decreased  with  the  number  of  spray- 
ings. Over  half  of  those  orchards  that  were  sprayed  three  times  were 
practically  free  from  scab. 

These  facts  will  not  agree  with  the  opinions  of  some  of  the  owners 
of  unsprayed  or  poorly  sprayed  orchards.  Many  such  men  do  not  recog- 
nize the  scab;  or  if  they  do,  they  think  that  when  the  diseased  tissue  peels 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     477 


off,  leaving  the  rusty-colored  spot,  the  scab  has  left  the  apple  (Bulletin 
226,  page  337).  A  still  larger  number  see  the  scab  but  underestimate 
its  importance,  thinking  that  the  scabby  apples  keep  as  well  as  others  and 
are  therefore  as  good.  Such  apples  do  not  often  keep  as  well  as  others, 
but  the  serious  error  in  this  reasoning  is  that  it  leaves  out  of  account 
the  value  of  beauty  in  selling  fruit.  Even  if  the  scabby  apple  should 

TABLE  n. 
Relation  of  spraying  to  the  apple-scab  fungus  in  1904. 


METHOD 
OF  SPRAYING. 

0-5  %  SCAB. 

6-25  %  SCAB. 

26-505*  SCAB. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per  ct. 
of  the 
area. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Perct. 
of  the 
area. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Perct. 
of  the 
area. 

Unsprayed  

3§ 

26 

7 

i 

272^ 
245^ 
42^ 
IO 

3 
30 
2O 

8 
17 

Sprayed  once    

2 

35 
3i 

5 

II 
340 

295^ 

33 

I 

27 

57 
57 

21 

44 
13 
i 

228 

430 
169 

15 

25 

35 
32 
26 

Sprayed  twice 

Sprayed  three  times..  . 
Sprayed  four  times  .... 

Total  

73 

679^ 

79 

842 

65 

625^ 



TABLE  n  —  (Concluded}. 


METHOD  OF  SPRAYING. 

51-75  %  SCAR. 

76-icojf  SCAB. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per  ct. 
of  the 
area. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per  ct. 
of  the 
area. 

Unsprayed  .      ... 

16 

12 
12 
I 

170 
117 
123^ 
4 

10 

13 
10 
I 

169 
34 
9 
I 

1551 
292 

103^ 
10 

87 
32 

8 

2 

Sprayed  once  

Sprayed  twice  

Sprayed  three  times          .        .        

Sprayed  four  times  ...         . 

Total  

41 

414/4 

213 

1956^ 

... 

happen  to  keep  as  well  and  should  taste  as  well,  it  would  still  be  a  cheap- 
selling  product.  To  be  No.  i,  apples  must  be  attractive  to  the  eye.  Many 
growers  have  honestly  considered  that  their  fruit  was  practically  free 
from  scab,  when  not  more  than  five  or  ten  apples  in  a  hundred  were 
free  from  it.  In  order  that  the  question  of  opinion  might  not  enter  into 
the  work,  the  percentage  of  scab  was  determined  by  counting.  Table  II 
shows  the  results. 


BULLETIN  229. 


Relation  of  spraying  to  yields  and  prices. — Table  12  shows  that  the 
sprayed  orchards  give  a  much  higher  yield  and  income  per  acre  than  the 
unsprayed.  The  difference  in  income  is  due  to  the  larger  yield,  larger 
percentage  of  the  crop  barreled  and  higher  price  per  barrel.  It  will  be 
seen  that  those  sprayed  three  times  gave  31  per  cent  larger  yield  and  51 
per  cent  larger  income  than  those  not  sprayed. 

TABLE  12. 
Spraying  and  yield  and  income  per  acre,  1904. 


YIELDS. 

Per 
cent.of 

INCOMES. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

crop 
barrel- 
ed. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
income. 

Unsprayed  

IOO 

Q171A 

24  q 

71 

04 

86l>£ 

$02 

Sprayed  once 

4O 

cf)4 

^O7 

71 

46 

468 

116 

Sprayed  twice 

QO 

Q2I  1A 

•34-2 

7q 

84 

864*4 

127 

Sprayed  three  times 

40 

426 

-?22 

83 

VI 

4O6 

I  ?Q 

Sprayed  four  times 

6 

AT. 

c6o 

77 

6 

4? 

211 

TABLE  13. 
Spraying  and  yield  and  income  per  acre,  1904.     Orchards  all  well  cared  for. 


YIELDS. 

Per 

cent  of 

INCOMES. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

crop 
barrel- 
ed. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
income. 

Unsprayed  

41 

381 

328 

66 

54 

449^ 

$103 

77 

T.52 

0"^ 

346 

74 

30 

316 

139 

Sprayed  twice 

7O 

701 

-274 

78 

64 

y 

644 

147 

Sprayed  three  times 

27 

2d7JA 

414 

87 

25 

236^ 

184 

Sprayed  four  times 

6 

ji 

56Q 

77 

4-?, 

211 

A  part  of  the  difference  in  yield  and  income  is  due  to  other  factors. 
The  unsprayed  orchards  are  likely  to  be  somewhat  neglected  in  other 
respects.  To  eliminate  this  factor,  another  classification  was  made  after 
all  neglected  orchards  were  thrown  out. 

Table  13  includes  only  those  orchards  that  are  fairly  well  cared  for. 
They  are  not  badly  diseased  or  damaged  from  any  cause.  This  shows 
a  marked  difference  in  the  percentage  of  the  crop  barreled  and  in  average 
yield  and  income;  the  average  income  per  acre  being:  unsprayed,  $103; 
sprayed  once,  $139;  sprayed  twice,  $143;  sprayed  three  times,  $184. 
Allowing  for  the  cost  of  the  extra  barrels  required,  for  the  cost  of  spray- 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     479 


ing  and  for  a  possible  difference  due  to  other  causes  than  spraying,  there 
is  certainly  enough  difference  left  to  give  a  large  profit  from  the  practice. 
The  relation  of  the  scab  to  the  average  yield  and  price. — It  will  be  seen 
from  table  1 1  that  some  of  the  orchards  that  were  sprayed  twice  or  three 
times  had  as  much 
scab  as  some  that 
were  sprayed  only 
once.  Another  clas- 
sification was  made 
on  the  basis  of 
results  obtained, 
rather  than  on  the 
number  of  spray- 
ings. Table  14  is 
a  summary  of 
these  results,  when 

the   orchards   were 

• 

grouped  according 
to  the  freedom 
from  scab,  regard- 
less of  how  that 
freedom  was  se- 
cured. As  would  FIG.  164. — Ben  Davis.  The  commercial  standard  of  the 
be  expected,  this  Middle  WesL 

shows  a  greater  difference  than  is  shown  by  table  12.  Those  orchards  that 
were  practically  free  from  scab  gave  54  per  cent  larger  yield  and  61  per 
cent  larger  income  than  those  with  over  three-fourths  of  the  apples  scabby. 
A  large  part  of  the  difference  in  income  is  due  to  the  fact  that  from  the 

TABLE  14. 
Relation  of  scab  to  income  and  yields,  1904. 


PER  CENT  OF  SCAB. 

Average  yield 
per  acre  — 
bushels. 

Average 
income  per 
acre. 

Per  cent 
of  the  crop 
barreled. 

382 

$I4T 

8l 

;:       ^  

6-  2=; 

TIQ 

I  O2 

7er 

zT    s  
26    50                     .  .     .       

^2^ 

ICK 

72 

ci—  7c 

87 

68 

5*      '3  
76—100                              

248 

88 

70 

480  BULLETIN  229. 

former,  81  per  cent  of  the  crop  was  barreled,  while  from  the  latter,  only  70 
per  cent  was  thus  sold.  The  difference  in  yield  is  partly  due  to  the 
poorer  care  given  to  unsprayed  orchards,  and  is  partly  due  to  direct  loss 
caused  by  worms  and  scab.  The  scab  probably  caused  many  apples  to  fall 
early  in  the  season.  Throughout  the  season  it  caused  some  apples  to 
crack  and  drop. 

The  time  to  spray. — As  will  be  seen  from  table  n,  nearly  half  of  those 
farmers  who  sprayed  only  once  accomplished  little  in  preventing  scab. 
One-sixth  of  those  who  sprayed  twice  accomplished  little,  still  having  over 
fifty  per  cent  scab.  Of  the  95  orchards  sprayed  once,  only  two  were 
practically  free  from  scab;  while  of  the  126  sprayed  twice,  35  were  prac- 
tically free  from  scab.  None  of  the  unsprayed  orchards  had  less  than 
25  per  cent  scab,  but  nine-tenths  of  those  sprayed  three  times  had  less 
than  this  amount. 

The  table  seems  to  show  that: 

1.  All  unsprayed  orchards  were  badly  infected  with  scab  in  1904. 

2.  Marked  results  were  accomplished  by  one  spraying  in  half  thea cases. 

3.  While  two  sprayings  were  sufficient  in  27  per  cent  of  the  orchards, 
three  was  the  only  safe  number. 

4.  Much  of  the  spraying  is  done  at  such  a  time  or  in  such  a  manner 
that  it  is  of  little  value. 

Perhaps  the  most  striking  point  in  this  table  is  the  difference  in  results 
from  the  same  number  of  sprayings.  Some  of  the  difference  is  prob- 
ably due  to  the  weather  conditions  following  the  application,  but  most 
of  it  is  due  to  thorough  spraying  at  the  right  time  as  contrasted  with 
careless  work,  or  work  done  at  the  wrong  time. 

In  1904  that  fruit  that  was  not  sprayed  IMMEDIATELY  after  blossoming 
was  invariably  scabby.  This  one  spraying  was  not  enough,  but  it  was  the 
most  essential  one.  Farmers  frequently  put  off  spraying  a  few  days 
because  they  are  too  busy.  This,  of  all  farm  operations,  must  be  done 
at  the  right  time.  The  seeds  (spores)  of  the  scab  grow  when  conditions 
are  favorable.  They  do  not  wait  for  the  farmer.  Unlike  weeds,  they  are 
not  readily  killed  when  once  established.  After  the  mycelium  of  the  scab 
is  within  the  apple  it  is  safe  from  the  influence  of  sprays.  Since  it 
must  be  killed  by  contact,  it  is  evident  that  every  apple  must  be  sprayed 
on  all  sides.  The  results  from  spraying  would  be  still  more  striking  if 
only  those  orchards  that  were  thoroughly  sprayed  at  the  right  times  were 
included. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     481 

Three  sprayings  are  usually   sufficient  for  the  codlin-moth  and  scab 
in  Western  New  York.     The  applications  should  be  made: 

1.  Just  before  the  blossoms  open. 

2.  Immediately  after  the  blossoms  fall. 

3.  Ten  to  14  days  after  the  second. 

Bulletin  226  gives  a  fuller  discussion  of  scab  and  its  treatment. 


FIG.  165. — Rome  Beauty.     Needs  thinning  and  good  care  to  give  size  and  color. 

NUMBER  OF  TREES  PER  ACRE. 

As  in  Wayne  county,  the  trees  in  the  old  orchards  were  planted  too 
close  together.  The  favorite  distance  was  33  x  33  feet.  Half  of  all  the 
orchards  were  planted  at  this  distance.  The  average  distance  was 
32.4  x  32.4  feet.  Only  5  per  cent  were  over  35x35  feet.  (In  some 
orchards  half  of  the  trees  have  been  cut  out  so  that  table  15  shows  13 
per  cent  over  35  x  35  feet.) 


482 


BULLETIN  229. 


In  the  young  orchards,  40  x  40  feet  is  the  commonest  distance — 57  per 
cent  are  set  in  this  way.  The  average  distance  is  36.6  x  36.6  feet,  but  this 
includes  some  that  have  been  set  more  closely  with  the  idea  of  removing 
half. 

Much  damage  has  resulted  in  the  old  orchards  from  this  close  planting. 
In  347  acres,  8  per  cent  of  the  total  area,  half  of  the  trees  have  been 
removed,  but  there  is  15  per  cent  more  in  which  half  of  the  trees  should 
be  removed.  That  is,  in  one  orchard  in  seven,  half  of  the  trees  ought  to 
be  cut  out.  In  some  this  should  have  been  done  10  years  ago-.  Some 

TABLE  15. 
Distance  between  trees. 


TREES  s 

ET   BEFORE    l8 

JO. 

TREES 

SET   SINCE    189 

5- 

DISTANCE  APART. 

No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 

cent. 

No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 
cent. 

Not  over  25  x  25  feet  
26  x  26  to  30  x  30 

22 

124 

143 
I    O2  1/4 

3 

23 

I 
2 

5 
35 

I 
o 

31x31  to  35x35  
36  x  36  to  40  x  40  
41  x  41  to  50  x  50 

308 

37 

4' 

2,667 
4I4>^ 
177 

60 
9 

4" 

8 
34 

-3 

61^ 
261^ 
2S 

16 

67 
6 

Trees  set 
before  1890. 

Trees  set 
since  1895. 

Average  number  of  trees  per  acre 

'            41    $ 

7.2    5 

Average  distance  apart 

1.2  A. 

t    7: 

16  6 

have  been  almost  ruined  by  the  death  of  the  lower  limbs  or  by  cutting 
these  limbs  off.  But  in  nearly  all  of  this  15  per  cent  it  would  still  pay 
to  cut  out  half  of  the  trees.  In  those  orchards  where  damage  has  riot 
yet  been  done,  the  trees  should  be  removed  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  inter- 
fere, before  they  have  been  damaged.  For  a  further  discussion  of 
thinning,  see  Bulletin  226. 

AGE  OF  THE  ORCHARDS. 

Date  of  planting. — Comparatively  few  orchards  were  set  before  1860, 
and  these  orchards  were  usually  small  ones,  set  more  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  the  family  than  for  raising  fruit  to  sell.  Over  eighty-one  per 
cent  of  the  orchards  were  planted  between  1860  and  1879.  Planting  then 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     483 


practically   ceased   till    1899.     It   then  began   again,   and   has   constantly 
increased  (table  16).     The  young  orchards  are  largely  in  the  north  part 

TABLE  16. 

X umber  of  orchards  planted  during  each  five-year  period.  The  table  includes  only 
those  orchards  that  arc  still  living.  Some  of  the  earlier  plantings  have  dis- 
appeared. 


DATE  OF  PLANTING. 

No.  of 
orchards 

No.  of  acres. 

Per  cent. 

180^—10  (l  5 

vears)  

5 

22l/2 

o.  5 

1820—29  (10 

years)  

IO 

5I>2 

I  .  I 

1830-30  do 

years)  

28^ 

0.6 

1840-49  (10 

years)  

g 

32 

0.7 

18^0-^4  (  ^  "\ 

''ears) 

•7,0 

I47J/<' 

1   I 

l8q^_CQ 

IQ 

109 

2   3 

1860-64 

IQs 

0-37 

IQ    ^ 

1865-69 

120 

I.  301 

27  0 

l870—74 

113 

Q-JQ  y~ 

IQ    ^ 

I  87s—  7Q 

69 

732^ 

I  c   2 

1880-84 

I  e 

07  V-i 

2  0 

1885-89  . 

5 

22 

0    ^ 

l8oO—  04  . 

o 

o 

0  0 

1  80  =1-00 

6 

^4^ 

O   7 

I  QOO—04 

AT. 

356 

7  4 

of  the  county.     Fifteen   per  cent  of  the  total   orchard  area  of  Carlton 
township  has  been  set  since  1895. 

Age  and  yield. — The  maximum  yield  seems  to  come  at  about  45  to  50 
years  from  the  date  of  planting  (table  17).     The  tabulations  for  Carlton 

TABLE  17. 
Age  and  yield  per  acre  in  bushels,  entire  county. 


DATE  OF. 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

PLANTING. 

No.  or- 
chards 

No.  acres. 

Av'ere 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

1805-29  
18^0—39  .  . 

4 
I 

20^ 

2l/2 

140 
1  80 

4 

20)4 

40 

7 

•3 

36K 

18% 

189 

86 

1840—49  

I 

2 

2"^ 

I 

2 

en 

16 

220 

l8^O—^4 

8 

4S1/ 

41  s1 

j  i 

6^ 

T\ 

18 

ns 

l8s^—  ^Q 

CT 

241 

12 

67 

SA 

T  7 

yo 

oO1 

A<joo   oy  
1860-64  
1865-69  

4i 

37 

2il 
260 

42 
48 

434 
t>o$lA 

53 

ce 

72 
87 

709^ 
874^ 

01<J 

271 

27O 

1870-74  

41 

352>2 

2IO 

4^ 

389 

6n 

68 

^1A 

248 

187^-70  . 

22 

2O8  l/2. 

22^ 

28 

24o  y> 

80 

47 

er\A  i/. 

1880-84  
1885-89  . 

2 
I 

23 
-} 

130 

Q 

3 

32 

J  J 

94 
68 

4/ 

9 

O^4/2 

53^ 
j  j 

1/4 

165 

^uu 

484 


BULLETIN  229. 
TABLE  17 — Concluded. 


DATE  OF 
PLANTING. 

1903. 

1904. 

FIVE-YEAR 

AVEKAGK. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

Av'ge 
age. 

Av'ge 
yield. 

1805-29  

9 
2 

6 

19 
19 
91 

III 
97 

55 

12 

4 

48^ 
12% 
25 
104 
109 
860 
1  ,  046^ 
831 
605 
80^ 

18 

I84 
102 
252 
246 

339 
245 
255 
234 
207 

*70 

216 

5 

25^ 

226 

8l 
67 

57 
50 
45 
40 

35 
30 
25 

20 

15 

156 

l8^O—^0 

I  840-40 

i 

7 
14 
51 
65 

57 
28 

5 
i 

4 
42 
90 

515 
688^ 

579M 
305^ 
25^ 
4 

88 
332 
355 
336 
283 
291 

2IO 
204 
125 

175 
283 
266 
229 
225 
2IO 
179 

153 
162 

18^0—^4.  . 

iS^-^Q    . 

1860-64  

i86q-6o.  . 

1870-74  

187^—70 

1880-84 

1885-89 

No  orchards  set  between  1890  and  1894  were  seen.  Those  set  since  1894  have 
given  no  yields  worth  considering.  In  no  year  has  the  average  reached  one-fourth 
of  a  bushel  per  acre. 

and  for  the  remainder  of  the  county,  when  made  separately,  show  the 
maximum  yields  to  come  at  this  same  age. 

There  are  several  orchards  from  75  to  100  years  old  that  are  still  profit- 
able. There  are  other  old  trees,  but  few  entire  orchards.  Most  of  the 
orchards  have  had  trees  set  in  at  later  dates,  so  that  the  orchards  could 
not  be  used  in  this  tabulation  of  yields.  It  must,  of  course,  be  remem- 
bered that  most  orchards  set  in  the  early  part  of  the  century  have 
disappeared. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Orleans  county  is  divided  into  two  rather  distinct  topographical  regions : 
the  old  lake  bed  and  a  glaciated  region.  Over  one-third  of  the  county 
lies  north  of  the  ridge  and  was  formerly  the  old  lake  bed.  The  ridge 
was  a  sand  bar  or  the  old  lake  shore  line.  This  is  the  same  ridge  that 
crosses  Wayne  county  and  extends  from  Sodus  Bay  to  Lewiston. 

The  entire  county  is  gently  rolling.  There  are  comparatively  few  hills, 
and  these  are  not  very  high.  The  general  slope  is  to  the  north,  the  rise 
being  from  246  feet,  the  level  of  the -lake,  to  about  650  feet,  the  general 
level  in  the  south  part  of  the  county.  The  highest  elevation  in  the  county 
is  737  feet. 

In  many  parts  of  the  county  there  is  not  enough  slope  to  give  good 
natural  drainage.  A  strip  north  of  the  ridge  about  two  miles  wide  is 
particularly  level.  In  the  south  and  southeast  parts  of  the  county  there 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.    485 

are  considerable  areas  of  swamp  land.  The  south  one-third  has  few 
orchards,  largely  because  of  the  poor  drainage.  In  all  parts  of  the  county 
drainage  is  the  great  soil  problem.  My  impression  is  that  one-third  of 
the  land  should  be  underdrained. 

There  are  no  such  marked  elevations  or  steep  slopes  as  in  Wayne 
county ;  consequently,  the  question  of  the  direction  of  the  slope  is  of  less 
importance.  The  most  essential  factor  is  good  drainage. 


FIG.  166. — Sutton  Beauty.     Resembles  highly  colored  Baldwin.    A   fairly 
early  and  regular  bearer. 

SOILS. 

The  soil  types. — There  are  four  types  of  soil  on  which  apples  are  com- 
monly grown:  the  Miami  fine  sand,  Dunkirk  clay,  Miami  stony  loam, 
and  Miami  fine  sandy  loam.*  Small  areas  of  several  other  types  of  soil 
are  devoted  to  apples.  In  general,  the  soils  are  quite  free  from  stones ; 
but  there  are  areas  both  north  and  south  of  the  ridge  that  are  quite  stony. 

Miami  fine  sand. — This  is  a  light  brown  or  brownish-yellow  fine  sandy 
loam,  underlain  by  a  light  yellow  fine  sand.  It  is  generally  free  from 
stones,  has  a  good  natural  drainage  and  is  easily  tilled.  It  occurs  in  all 
parts  of  the  county,  but  is  commonest  south  of  the  ridge  and  about  half 
way  between  the  ridge  and  the  lake. 

*  For  soil  analyses  and  further  description  of  these  types,  see  Bulletin  226. 


486 


BULLETIN  229. 


Miami  fine  sandy  loam. — This  is  a  variation  of  the  fine  sand  that  con- 
tains enough  fine  particles  to  give  it  a  slightly  loamy  character. 

Dunkirk  clay. — This  type  is  light  brown,  yellowish-brown,  or  some- 
times a  reddish-brown  clay  loam,  8  to  10  inches  deep,  underlain  by  choco- 
late-colored, yellowish-brown,  or  reddish-brown  clay.  The  subsoil  is 

TABLE  18. 
Relation  of  yields  to  soil  types. 


IQOO. 

1901. 

1902. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres 

Aver- 
age 
yield. 

NTo.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Aver- 
age 

yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Aver- 
age 
yield. 

Miami  fine  sand  

52 

476  >2 

2?S 

67 

638^ 

02 

1  06 

QCC 

2^3 

Miami  fine  sandy  loam 
Dunkirk  clay 

21 
63 

152 
CIQ 

314 

277 

28 
80 

194 
7^8^ 

89 
87 

47 

1^2 

379^ 

IIQ7 

26l 

2c6 

Miami  stony  loam  

41 

431 

215 

37 

405^ 

°' 
67 

72 

757^ 

^^)U 

206 

TABLE  18 — Concluded. 


1903. 

1904. 

No.  or- 
chards 

No. 
acres. 

Aver- 
age 

yield. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No. 
acres. 

Aver- 
age 

yield. 

average 
yield. 

Miami  fine  sand 

146 

1240 

242 

80 

7trc;i^ 

"344 

2^7 

Miami  fine  sandy  loam  .... 
Dunkirk  clay  

61 
165 

500^ 
mi4 

239 
221 

31 
1  12 

278^ 
IO28/^ 

331 
270 

247 

222 

Miami  stony  loam  

87 

Q121A 

24O 

c6 

62^  y>> 

•\\  c: 

200 

frequently  mottled.  This  type  is  most  common  near  the  lake,  but  occurs 
in  all  parts  of  the  county.  It  is  a  heavy  soil  and  very  frequently  needs 
drainage. 

Miami  stony  loam. — This  soil  is  a  brown  stony  loam  containing  from 
10  to  40  per  cent  of  stone,  and  contains  considerable  sand.  The  subsoil 
is  of  a  yellowish-brown  color  and  contains  less  stone  and  sand. 

Yields  on  the  different  soil  types. — Table  18  shows  the  average  yields 
on  the  different  soil  types  for  the  past  five  years.  The  sandy  loam  gave 
the  largest  five-year  average,  followed  by  the  fine  sand,  then  by  the 
clay.  But  the  differences  are  not  great  enough  nor  are  they  uniform 
enough  in  the  different  years  to  indicate  any  particular  advantage  for 
any  type. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     487 

The  trees  on  the  sandy  soils  have  a  tendency  to  grow  faster,  and  the 
fruit  seems  to  grow  a  little  larger.  Orchards  on  the  sandy  soils  are  likely 
to  be  older  before  they  begin  to  bear.  A  suggestion  of  this  is  given  in 
the  practice  of  girdling  the  trees.  Some  years  ago  large  numbers  of  trees 
in  orchards  on  the  sandy  soils  were  girdled  by  running  a  saw  around  the 
trunk.  Few  on  the  Dunkirk  clay  were  so  treated. 

The  sandy  soils  are  easier  to  work  and  are  better  drained  than  the 
heavier  soils,  but  they  require  more  manure. 

As  a  result  of  the  work  in  both  Orleans  and  Wayne  county,  it  seems 
that  while  a  light  loam  is  doubtless  best,  any  well-drained  soil  in  these 
counties  will  raise  good  apples.  The  sandy  soils  are  certainly  better  than 
most  of  the  publications  on  apple-growing  would  lead  one  to  believe. 


FIG.  167. — Mann.     Greening  type,  keeps  well,  bears  irregularly. 

Drainage. — A  careful  study  w.as  made  of  the  effect  of  poor  drainage 
on  the  orchards.  The  number  of  missing  trees  that  had  been  killed  by 
water  was  usually  counted  and  a  careful  estimate  was  made  of  those  that 
were  badly  damaged,  and  of  those  that,  while  not  so  seriously  injured, 
would  still  probably  pay  for  tile  drainage.  A  loss  of  about  8  to  10  per 
cent  can  be  traced  to  this  cause ;  2.3  per  cent  of  the  trees  have  been  killed 
and  9.4  per  cent  more  have  been  so  badly  damaged  that  they  are  of  very 
little  value.  According  to  the  opinion  of  the  inspectors,  about  20  per  cent 
would  pay  for  underdrainage — all  those  marked  poor,  damaged  or  dead 
in  table  19.  This  does  not  mean  one  orchard  in  five,  but  one-fifth  of  the 
area.  Sometimes  a  whole  orchard  is  damaged,  but  usually  only  a  part 
of  the  orchard  needs  drainage. 

The  subject  of  tile  drainage  is  one  that  is  worthy  of  careful  thought 
on  the  part  of  Orleans  county  farmers,  not  only  for  orchards  but  for 
farm  crops. 


488 


BULLETIN  229. 


RENTED  ORCHARDS. 

More  than  one-fourth  of  the  orchards  are  rented,  and  in  about  half 
of  these  rented  orchards  the  tenant  changes  every  year  (table  20).  The 
rented  orchards  average  much  below  those  worked  by  the  owners.  Where 

TABLE  19. 
Drainage. 


CHARACTER  OF  DRAINAGE  AND  EFFECT  ON  TREES. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

Good  . 

20^1  x^ 

47   2 

Fair  

1240 

28  8 

Poor     

52*3^ 

12    2 

Trees  badly  damaged     .        

4cn  l/£ 

94. 

Trees  killed  

lOOti 

2.  3 

the  leases  have  been  given  for  a  longer  period,  the  differences  are  not  so 
great.  Even  if  each  tenant  were  a  good  orchardist,  the  rapid  changes 
would  soon  spoil  an  orchard,  for  each  man  comes  with  different  ideas  of 
pruning  and  orchard  management. 

TABLE  20. 
Orchards  rented  and  orchards  worked  by  owner. 


No. 
orchards. 

No. 
acres. 

Per 

cent. 

Rented                                    

14-1 

1,273 

27 

Worked  by  the  owner    

36b 

3,  122)4 

73 

Years  of  tenure. 


No. 
orchards. 

Per 
cent. 

First  year         

35 

49 

Second  year     .       

19 

26 

Third  and  fourth  years 

7 

IO 

Five  or  more  years 

ii 

15 

Average  tenure,  3.3  years. 

ENEMIES  OF  THE  APPLE. 

The  scab  probably  caused  more  loss  than  all  other  enemies  of  the  apple 
in  1904.  It  is  discussed  under  SPRAYING.  A  leaf-spot,  probably  Phyllos- 
ticta,  did  much  damage  in  many  orchards,  particularly  where  the  drainage 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     489 


was  poor.  Much  of  the  falling  of  the  leaves,  called  the  "  yellow  leaf," 
was  due  to  this  cause.  The  damage  was  not  quite  as  serious  as  table  21 
might  indicate.  The  diseases  that  attack  the  tree  directly,  as  the  canker 


FIG.  168. — Roxbury  Russet.     One  of  Mr.  Albert  Wood's  "money-makers" 

and  collar  rot,  are  the  worst  enemies  of  the  tree  itself  in  orchards  where 
these  diseases  occur.  These  and  a  few  other  diseases  are  fully  discussed 
in  Bulletin  226. 

TABLE  21. 

Principal  enemies  of  the  apple  in  1904. 
Apple-scab  (Venturia  inaequalis')   see  table  under  SPRAYING. 

Apple-scab  on  the  leaves ; slight 

considerable 
serious 

Canker    (Sphaeropsis  malorum) slight 

considerable 
serious 

Collar  rot slight 

considerable 
serious 

Leaf-spot  (probably  Phyllosticta  sp.) slight 

considerable 
considerable  to  serious 

Codlin-moth   (Carpocapsa  pomonella) slight 

considerable 
serious 

Leaf-blister  mites    slight 

considerable 
serious 

Injuries  usually  slight,  due  to  the  following,  were  also  recorded:  Leaf-hopper, 
borer,  leaf-miner,  leaf-sewer,  bud-moth,  aphid,  tent  caterpillar,  tussock-moth, 
tortricid,  cuculio,  Aspidiotus  forbesi,  rose  bug,  fall  web-worm,  oyster  shell  bark- 
louse,  woolly  aphis,  pink  rot,  San  Jose  scale,  etc.,  etc. 


No. 

orchards. 

No.  acres. 

53 

440 

55 

442 

34 

294^ 

92 

809 

74 

61354 

49 

4505^ 

56 

462 

22 

204^ 

16 

159 

IOO 

78554 

127 

105754 

151 

1429^ 

all  orchards 

47 

43354 

55 

44354 

ii 

115 

4 

5054 

4 

31/4 

490 


BULLETIN  229. 


YIELDS,  MARKETS,  PRICES  AND  INCOMES. 

Yields. — The  following  tables  will  give  some  of  the  chief  points.  In 
computing  yields  one  barrel  is  taken  as  three  bushels.  This  is  a  little  too 
high  an  estimate,  but  this  basis  had  to  be  used  as  it  is  the  one  used  by 
farmers  and  on  which  many  of  the  yields  were  reported  by  them. 


TABLE  22. 
Approximate  total  yield  for  the  entire  county. 


1889  (U.  S.  Census  report) 
1899  (U.  S.  Census  report) 

1900 

1901   

1902 

1903  

1904 


Bushels. 

321,726 
1,391,630 
3,663,000 

958,000 
3,770,000 
3,405,000 
4,317,000 


The  estimates  for  the  last  five  years  were  obtained  by  multiplying  the  approximate 
area  of  15,200  acres  (page  465)  by  the  average  yields  (table  23).  To  determine  the 
number  of  barrels,  compare  these  yields  with  the  per  cent  barreled  (table  26).  The 
yield  for  1904  may  be  too  high  as  there  may  have  been  a  tendency  for  those  who 
had  a  small  crop  not  to  reply  to  the  letter  requesting  that  year's  yield. 

TABLE  23. 
Average  yield  per  acre  in  bushels. 


YEAR. 

No. 
orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Average 
yield. 

1899  (U    S    Census  report) 

02 

IOOO 

176 

1,581^ 

241 

IQOI 

212 

I,  O72 

63 

IOO2 

356 

T,  194/4 

248 

100^  .  . 

48  5 

4>  344  YZ 

224 

1004     . 

283 

2,869% 

284 

TABLE  24. 
Average  yield  per  tree. 


1899  . 

Bushels. 
2.2 

IOOO 

5-8 

IQOI 

1.5 

1902 

6  o 

I9OT 

5.4 

1004. 

6  8 

Average 4.6 

These  results  were  obtained  by  dividing  the  average  yields  per  acre  (table  23)  by 
the  average  number  of  trees  per  acre  (table  15). 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     491 


TABLE  25. 
Classification  of  yields. 


YIELD 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

PER  ACRE  IN 
BUSHELS. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

cent. 

0  to  100.  .  .  . 
101  to  20O.  .  .  . 

36 

26 

391 

252 

24.8 

16.0 

118 
30 

1213 

264 

76.4 

16.6 

56 
93 

612 

875 

18.8 
26.9 

201  to  300  

S3 

4l6^ 

26.4 

8 

65/2 

4-i 

89 

805^ 

24.7 

301  to  400.  .  .  . 

26 

ig2l/2 

12.2 

3 

18 

i.i 

53 

455 

14.0 

401  to  500  

23 

165^ 

10.5 

3 

27 

i-7 

28 

240^ 

7-4 

501  to  600.  .  .  . 

10 

88 

5-6 

22 

IC7 

4.7 

601  to  700.  .  .  . 

i 

45 

lie 

9 

63^ 

2.0 

701  to  800.  .  .  . 

3 

2I}4 

i  .4 

4 

17/4 

0.  5 

80  1  to  900 

901  to  1000 

V 

25 

o  8 

Over  1000 

i 

6 

0  4 

TABLE  25 — Concluded. 


YIELD  PER  ACRE  IN 

1903. 

1904. 

Five-year 

BUSHELS. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

per  cent. 

o  to  100 

71 

6?4 

l6  4 

20 

298^ 

10  8 

20  4 

1  01  to  200 

124 

u/4 
1169 

28  4 

4O 

5^854 

10    5 

21    5 

201  tO  300 

1^7 

I2481/- 

^O   "\ 

cc 

.Do^/z 

foi54 

22   8 

21    7 

301  to  400. 

*' 

62 

4O7  V? 

12    I 

52 

50854 

18  4 

•/ 
II   6 

401  to  500  .  .  . 

38 

202 

7    I 

4Q 

70Q54 

14  4 

8  2 

501  to  600  

I? 

*y* 

IO754 

2   6 

22 

2^Q54 

8  7 

4   "} 

601  to  700.  .  .  . 

6 

-57 

0  0 

12 

7754 

2  8 

I    7 

701  to  800  

i 

f' 

65 

i'6 

c 

2054 

i  i 

0.0 

801  to  ,900  

c 

28^ 

O  7 

c 

2554 

O  0 

0   ^ 

901  to  1000  

2 

854 

0   ^ 

O.2 

Over  1000  

I 

8 

o  ^ 

O.I 

Markets. — The  characteristic  feature  of  the  apple  industry  in  Wayne 
county  is  the  evaporator ;  in  Orleans  county  it  is  the  sorting-table.  In 
Wayne  county  a  large  part  of  the  crop  goes  to  the  evaporator  without 
sorting  out  the  best  apples ;  in  Orleans  county  too  much  of  it  is  barreled. 
Few,  if  any,  farmers  in  Orleans  county  run  their  own  evaporators.  This 
may  partly  explain  the  low  price  paid  for  apples  to  be  evaporated  (com- 
pare table  27  with  table  44  in  Bulletin  226),  but  the  difference  is  largely 
due  to  the  fact  that  in  Orleans  county  only  the  culls  and  drops  are  usually 
dried.  It  seems  that  each  county  might  learn  much  from  the  other. 
Wayne  county  should  spray  better  and  then  sell  more  of  the  crop  in 
barrels.  Orleans  county  should  sort  much  more  closely  and  then  keep 


492 


BULLETIN  229. 


the  poor  apples  to  evaporate.  When  put  in  the  barrel,  these  only  detract 
from  the  price  paid  and  lower  the  reputation  of  the  grower  and  of  the 
county.  There  is  at  present  a  strong  tendency  to  put  up  only  one  grade, 

the  farmers  thinking  it 
is  best  to  keep  the  poor 
apples  at  home.  But  in 
practice  this  frequently 
seems  to  mean  that, 
instead  of  keeping  the 
"  seconds  "  at  home,  both 
"  firsts  "  and  "  seconds  " 
get  into  the  one  barrel. 
If  apples  were  more 
carefully  sorted,  the  culls 
would  be  worth  more 
and  might  approach  the 
price  paid  in  Wayne 
county  for  apples  to 
evaporate.  If  the  evap- 
orators refused  to  pay 

this,  some  of  the  farmers  might  follow  the  Wayne  county  example,  and 
put  up  their  own  evaporators. 

Perhaps  no  question  is  of  greater  importance  than  this  one  of  the  quality 
of  the  fruit.  It  is  a  county  question.  One  man  may  raise  the  best  of 
fruit  and  may  sort  and  pack  it  carefully,  but  it  is  very  hard  for  him  to 
get  its  real  value  if  his  neighbors  raise  poor  fruit.  Buyers  continually 
mention  and  honestly  lament  the  fact  that  the  price  must  be  so  largely 
determined  for  the  community.  The  good  apples  sell  the  poor  ones.  It 

TABLE  26. 
How  the  crop  is  disposed  of. 


FIG.  169. — Wolf  River,  of  the  Alexander  type. 


1900 

IQOI 

1902 

HOW  MARKETED. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Sold  in  barrels  

•72^,  821 

QI  .  7 

112,  962 

0^  2 

68^,415 

83.1 

Sold  in  bulk 

IO    70O 

e    e 

-?    708 

31 

CQ     T-JT 

7  2 

Sold  to  evaporate 

xy,  /\j\j 
Q    O68 

2  8 

4J.J.O 

•i   7 

70  406 

97 

Sold  to  vinegar  factory 

Otherwise  disposed  of  . 

AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     493 

TABLE  26 — Concluded. 


i9o3 

1904. 

HOW  MARKETED. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Bushels. 

Per 
cent. 

Sold  in  barrels  

819,  204 

82.7 

627,231 

72.1 

Sold  in  bulk 

•J2,  104 

•3     2 

1  7,  OOQ 

2   I 

Sold  to  evaporate                                

128,096 

12   0 

IC-3,  IOQ 

17.6 

Sold  to  vinegar  factory                 ...         

4,  4  CQ 

0    ^ 

->«->'  ***•£ 
^,626 

' 

6.2 

Otherwise  disposed  of       .  .        

7,  200 

0  7 

17,  720 

2.0 

To  get  the  number  of  barrels,  divide  the  number  of  bushels  by  3. 

Those  sold  in  bulk  were  nearly  all  sold  to  be  barreled. 

The  table  indicates  too  small  a  proportion  sold  to  dry  or  for  vinegar  as  the  farmers 
pay  little  attention  to  these.  This  is  particularly  true  for  crops  before  1903.  The 
1904  report  is  probably  correct  in  this  respect. 

Of  the  72.1  per  cent  barreled  in  1904,  64.3  per  cent  were  "firsts"  and  7.8  per  cent 
were  "  seconds  "  or  "  drops." 

is  exceedingly  difficult  to  pay  $2  per  barrel  to  one  man  and  then  buy  of 
his  neighbor  at  $1.50.  When  a  buyer  offers  these  prices  he  is  met  by  the 
unanswerable  argument  that,  "  My  apples  are  as  good  as  my  neighbor's," 
and  he  is  quite  likely  to  offer  $1.75  to  both  men.  Every  effort  should 
be  made  to  persuade  the  man  who  raises  poor  fruit,  to  improve  his 
product  not  only  for  his  own  good  but  for  the  good  of  the  whole  county. 
The  County  Fruit  Growers'  Association  is  doing  good  work  along  this 
line. 

Prices. — Table  27  gives  the  average  prices  for  the  past  five  years.  The 
price  per  barrel  in  1904  is  too  low,  for  it  includes  9nly  those  that  were 
sold  when  the  reports  were  received,  about  January  25th.  At  this  time 
1 8  per  cent  of  those  that  were  barreled  were  still  held  by  the  farmers. 
These  were  worth  more  than  the  average  price. 

TABLE  27. 
Average  price  paid  to  the  grower. 


1  900. 

1901. 

1902. 

1903. 

1904. 

Price  per  barrel  

$1    41 

$?    jc 

$1    7O 

$i  8; 

$i  46 

Price  per  bushel  sold  in  bulk  

224 

^82 

277 

OQ2 

260 

Price  per  100  pounds  (2  bushels)    sold 
to  dry  

178 

208 

218 

268 

TO/1 

Price  per   100  pounds  (2  bushels)   sold 
for  vinegar  

.  1/0 

•^y° 

TC4 

.  iy^ 

148 

In  1904 the  average  price  of  firsts  was  $1.49 per  barrel;  of  seconds  and  drops,  $1.15. 


494 


BULLETIN  229. 


Expenses  and  income  per  acre. — Table  28  gives  the  average  gross 
income  per  acre  for  the  past  five  years,  and  table  29  shows  how  these 
incomes  were  distributed. 


FIG.  170. — One   of   the   original   Hubbardstons   of    Western   N.    Y.   in   the 
orchard  of  Mr.  T.  B.  Wilson,  Hall's  Corners,  Ontario  county,  N.  Y. 


Unfortunately,  the  average  expense  per  acre  can  not  be  secured,  as 
few  farmers  keep  any  record  of  expenses.  The  largest  expense  is  lor 
barrels,  picking,  packing  and  marketing  the  fruit.  One  orchard  of  9 
acres,  for  which  an  itemized  account  was  kept  in  1904,  gave  a  total  expense 
of  $339-55  for  tillage,  pruning,  fertilization,  spraying,  labor,  etc.  The 
cost  of  barrels,  picking,  etc.,  was  $1,122.40  (Bulletin  226,  page  297).  This 
made  an  expense  of  $37.73  per  acre  for  raising  the  crop  up  to  the  time 
of  picking,  not  including  interest  on  the  land.  Probably  not  over  five  to 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     495 


ten  per  cent  of  the  orchards  cost  this  much,  but  it  would  pay  to  spend 
this  amount  in  nearly  all  orchards.  The  average  grower  probably  spends 
from  one-fourth  to  one-half  this  amount.  There  are  many  neglected 
orchards  in  which  there  is  practically  no  expense  up  to  the  time  of  picking. 
Table  30  gives  an  approximate  estimate  of  the  cost  of  barrels,  picking, 
packing  and  marketing.  It  includes  only  that  part  of  the  crop  that  was 
sold  in  barrels.  Barrels  cost  34  to  38  cents  in  1904,  cost  as  much  or  more 
in  1903,  and  cost  less  formerly.  It  costs  about  25  cents  per  barrel  for  all 
labor  connected  with  marketing,  10  to  12  cents  of  which  is  paid  for 
picking.  This  gives  a  total  cost  of  about  60  cents  per  barrel,  which,  of 
course,  varies  from  year  to  year  with  the  cost  of  labor  and  of  barrels. 
It  is  probably  a  little  low  for  1903  and  1904. 

TABLE  28. 
Average  gross  income  per  acre. 

1900 $122  oo 

1901  58  oo 

1902 134  oo 

1903  126  oo 

1904 1 16  oo 


TABLE  29. 
Classification  of  incomes. 


1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

INCOME 

PER  ACRE. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 

cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

No.  or- 
chards. 

No.  acres. 

Per 
cent. 

$    o  to$  25.  . 

17 

I69 

10.4 

94 

877^ 

44.2 

29 

287^ 

8.S 

26  to      50.  . 

24 

308^ 

I9.I 

32 

293  }/z 

14.8 

30 

341  y* 

IO.I 

5i  to     75.. 

15 

109 

6.8 

21 

203 

ro.3 

41 

371/2 

II.  0 

76  to   ioo.  . 

221^ 

13-7 

18 

213^ 

10.8 

304 

9.0 

ioi  to    125.  . 

28 

239 

14.8 

15 

H3}4 

5-7 

60 

558 

i6.s 

126  to    150.  . 

15 

130^2 

8.1 

II 

104 

5-3 

34 

297 

8.8 

151  to    175.. 

13 

90 

5-6 

5 

46^2 

2-3 

31' 

307 

9.1 

176   tO    20O.  . 

18 

I22>2 

7-7 

5 

38 

1.9 

25 

184 

5-4 

201    tO    225.  . 

7 

87^ 

5-4 

2 

7/2 

0.4 

17 

139^ 

4.1 

226  to   250.  . 

4 

25 

1-5 

I 

18 

0.9 

12 

85 

2-5 

251  to    275.. 

4 

43 

2.7 

3 

32 

1.6 

10 

97 

2.9 

276  to    300  .  . 

4 

24^ 

i  .5 

II 

8/1 

2    e 

301  to   325  .  . 

I 

6 

0.4 

i 

8 

0.4 

6 

61 

1.8 

326  to   350.  . 

2 

7>£ 

0.5 

c 

•3  C. 

I   O 

351  to   375.  . 

I 

9 

0.6 

7 

2    I 

376  to   400.  . 

I 

6 

O  2 

401  to   425  .  . 

2 

7O 

2-j 

426  to   450  .  . 

I 

23 

i  .4 

2 

17 

Or 

451  to   475.  . 

I 

Ot 

476  to    500.  . 

•7 

21 

i  i 

I 

•4 
0   2 

Over  $500..  .  . 

I 

6 

O-i 

2 

O   7 

23 

u.  / 

496 


BULLETIN  229. 


TABLE  29 — Concluded. 


INCOME 

1903. 

1904. 

Five-year 

PER  ACRE. 

No. 
orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

No. 
orchards. 

No.  acres. 

Per  cent. 

average 
per  cent. 

$    o  to  $  25.  .. 

28 

206 

4-9 

17 

192 

6.5 

14.9 

26  to      50.  .. 

44 

504 

12.0 

37 

4IS 

14.1 

14.0 

51  to      75... 

50 

439# 

10.4 

36 

11.7 

10.  0 

76  to    ioo.  .  . 

63 

680^ 

16.2 

31 

4*9# 

14-3 

12.8 

ioi  to    125.  .. 

62 

574^ 

13-6 

44 

434 

14.8 

I3-I 

126  to    150.  .  . 

54 

515 

12.2 

26 

275% 

9  •  4 

8.8 

151  to    175... 

47 

37i 

8.8 

30 

248 

8  4 

6.8 

176  tO     200.  .  . 

34 

268^ 

6.4 

18 

283 

9.6 

6.2 

201   tO     225.  .  . 

29 

253^ 

6.0 

14 

n6/4 

4.0 

4.0 

226  to    250.  .  . 

18 

140^ 

3-3 

15 

110% 

3-8 

2.4 

251  to    275... 

12 

78  1 

1.9 

4 

16% 

0.6 

1.9 

276  to    300  .  .  . 

8 

1.6 

3 

13% 

0-5 

1.2 

301  to    325..  . 

3 

22% 

0.5 

4 

41 

1.4 

0.9 

326  to    350.  .  . 

5 

29 

0.7 

2 

15 

0-5 

0.5 

35i  to    375... 

3 

16 

0.4 

I 

5 

0.2 

0.7 

^76  to    400    . 

I 

6 

O.  I 

0   I 

O/w    tv^      *}\j\j  •  •  . 

401  to   425  ... 

2 

9 

O.2 

2 

ii 

0.4 

0.6 

426  to    450  . 

2 

0.3 

0.2 

451  to    475  • 

- 

O.  I 

0.  1 

476  to    500. 

2 

I4/ 

0.3 

0.3 

Over  $<;oo.  .  . 

2 

0.2 

TABLE  30. 

Approximate  cost  per  acre  of  barrels,  picking,  packing  and  marketing  that  part  of 
the  crop  that  was  sold  in  barrels. 


No.  barrels 
required. 

Approximate 
cost. 

1900 

74 

$44 

1901 

10 

II 

IQ02 

69 

41 

IQO3     . 

62 

•17 

IOO4 

68 

41 

FIG.  171.— Baldwin.     The  standard  apple  of  Western  New  York. 


SUMMARY. 


Extent  of  the  survey. — Altogether,  564  orchards,  containing  4,881 
acres,  were  examined  in  Orleans  county  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1904. 
There  are  approximately  16,500  acres  of  apples  in  the  county. 

Varieties. — Baldwin  and  Rhode  Island  Greening  are  the  leading  vari- 
eties. Roxbury  Russet,  Tompkins  King,  Twenty-Ounce,  Hubbardston, 
Northern  Spy,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg  and  a  few  other  varieties,  are  also 
commonly  grown  but  are  all  secondary  in  extent  to  the  Baldwin  and 
Greening. 

Tillage. — Eleven  per  cent  of  the  orchards  have  been  tilled  five  or  more 
years ;  33  per  cent  have  been  in  sod  five  or  more  years ;  the  others  have 
been  tilled  part  of  the  time. 

The  five-year  average  yield  of  orchards  that  have  been  tilled  ten  years 
is  86  per  cent  larger  than  that  of  those  which  have  been  in  sod  ten  or 
more  years,  and  those  tilled  five  years  gave  34  per  cent  larger  yield  than 
those  in  sod  five  years.  A  part  of  this  difference  is  due  to  tillage  and  a 
part  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  man  who  tills  his  orchard  is  likely  to  give 
it  improved  care  in  other  respects.  Of  the  orchards  that  were  well  cared 
for  in  other  respects,  the  ones  that  have  been  tilled  ten  or  more  years  gave 
45  per  cent  larger  yield  than  those  that  were  in  sod  ten  or  more  years, 
and  those  tilled  five  or  more  years  gave  1 5  per  cent  larger  yield  than  those 
in  sod  the  same  period.  The  average  prices  per  bushel  have  been  a  little 
larger  from  tilled  than  from  sod  orchards,  so  that  there  is  a  slightly 
greater  difference  in  income  per  acre  than  in  yields. 

Of  the  various  methods  of  sod  treatment  thus  far  tried,  pasturing  with 
hogs  or  sheep  gave  the  largest  average  yields. 

One-fifth  of  the  sod  orchards  are  as  good  as  the  average  tilled  ones,  but 
no  method  of  sod  treatment  equals  tillage  in  average  yield  or  income. 

Fertilisation. — Many  farmers  apply  all  or  nearly  all  the  manure  from 
the  farm  in  the  orchard.  Ninety-one  per  cent  of  the  area  is  given  some 
manure.  Commercial  fertilizers  or  wood  ashes  have  been  used  in  24  per 
cent.  The  fertilizers  used  usually  contain  no  nitrogen  or  are  low  in 
nitrogen. 


498  BULLETIN  229. 

Cover-crops. — Cover-crops  have  been  used  in  three  per  cent  of  the 
area.  Common  red  clover  and  buckwheat  are  the  most  commonly  used. 
Crimson  clover,  rye,  vetch,  rape  and  alfalfa  are  grown  by  some. 

Pruning. — Poor  pruning,  resulting  in  rotten  trunks,  is  the  cause  of  the 
premature  death  of  many  trees.  The  important  points  in  pruning  are : 
(i)  The  limbs  should  be  cut  close  to  the  trunk.  (2)  Large  limbs  should 
not  be  removed  without  cause.  (3)  Paint  should  be  used  on  large 
wounds.  (4)  Pruning  should  be  done  every  year,  rather  than  give  the 
occasional  "  thorough  trimming." 

Spraying. — Sixty-one  per  cent  of  the  orchards  were  sprayed  in  1904. 
One-fifth  of  this  area  was  sprayed  with  arsenic  and  Bordeaux  mixture. 
Nearly  all  of  the  remainder  were  sprayed  with  Paris  green  and  Bordeaux 
mixture. 

In  practically  none  of  the  unsprayed  orchards  were  over  half  of  the 
apples  free  from  scab.  In  56  per  cent  of  those  sprayed  once,  82  per  cent 
of  those  sprayed  twice,  and  97  per  cent  of  those  sprayed  three  times  not 
over  half  the  apples  were  scabby.  None  of  the  unsprayed  orchards  had 
less  than  25  per  cent  of  scab,  but  one-fourth  of  those  sprayed  once,  two- 
thirds  of  those  sprayed  twice,  and  nine-tenths  of  those  sprayed  three 
times  had  less  than  this  amount. 

The  yields,  per  cent  of  the  crop  barreled  and  the  income  per  acre  are 
all  much  larger  from  sprayed  than  from  unsprayed  orchards.  Those 
sprayed  three  times  gave  31  per  cent  larger  yield  per  acre  and  51  per 
cent  larger  income  than  those  not  sprayed.  A  part  of  the  difference  is 
doubtless  due  to  other  factors,  for  the  unsprayed  orchards  are  likely  to 
be  neglected  in  other  ways.  Taking  only  those  orchards  that  have  been 
well  cared  for,  the  average  income  per  acre  is:  unsprayed  $103;  sprayed 
once,  $139;  sprayed  twice,  $143;  sprayed  three  times,  $184. 

Distance  between  trees. — The  average  distance  between  trees  in  the 
bearing  orchards  is  32.4  x  32.4  feet.  Only  five  per  cent  were  planted 
over  35  x  35  feet.  In  nearly  three-fifths  of  the  young  orchards  the  trees 
are  40  x  40  feet.  In  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  bearing  orchards  half  of  the' 
trees  should  be  removed. 

Age  of  the  trees. — Eighty-one  per  cent  of  the  orchards  were  planted 
between  1860  and  1879.  Planting  then  practically  ceased  till  1899,  since 
when  it  has  been  constantly  increasing.  The  young  orchards  are  largely 
in  the  north  part  of  the  county.  They  now  amount  to  about  eight  per 
cent  of  the  total  apple  orchard  area. 


AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  SURVEY  OF  ORLEANS  COUNTY,  NEW  YORK.     499 

The  maximum  yield  seems  to  come  at  45  to  50  years  from  the  date  of 
planting. 

Soils. — The  loamy  soils  seem  to  be  best  for  apple  production,  but  good 
apples  are  grown  on  quite  sandy  soils.  The  clay  soils  are  likely  to  need 
drainage  in  order  to  fit  them  for  apple-growing.  A  loss  of  about  8  to  10 
per  cent  of  the  apple-trees  is  due  to  poor  drainage. 

Yields. — The  average  yields  per  acre  have  been:  1900,  241  bushels; 
1901,  63  bushels;  1902,  248  bushels;  1903,  224  bushels;  1904,  284  bushels. 
The  five-year  average  yield  has  been  over  200  bushels  in  half  the  orchards. 

Markets. — Seventy  to  90  per  cent  of  the  crop  is  sold  in  barrels.  Most 
of  the  remainder  is  sold  to  be  dried  or  is  sold  to  vinegar  factories. 

Prices. — The  average  prices  per  barrel  have  been:  1900,  $1.41;  1901, 
$3.15;  1902,  $1.79;  1903,  $1.85;  1904,  $1.46.  The  price  per  bushel  for 
those  sold  to  dry  has  averaged  about  nl/2  cents  during  the  past  five  years. 
Those  sold  to  the  vinegar  factories  average  about  7^  cents  per  bushel. 

Income  per  acre. — The  average  gross  incomes  per  acre  have  been : 
IQOO,  $122;  1901,  $58;  1902,  $134;  1903,  $126;  1904,  $116.  In  half  of 
the  orchards  the  income  has  averaged  over  $100  per  acre  for  the  past 
five  years. 


[DIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


OCT  23  1947 


LD  21-1007n-12,'46(A2012sl6)4120 


YC  62C8 


. 


0 


3800  .i  7 


O 

OD 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


